Across the Hall
by mustlovertp
Summary: E/B & the usual suspects AH-His marriage was doomed from the start. Hers was full of deception. Can they ignore their pasts long enough to find each other? rated M for language and lemons. AH/AU/canon pairings
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at fanfiction-Any reference to the military or any other profession is purely for entertainment purposes and not to be taken as true as they apply to the real world.

My undying gratitude goes to xXkiwicullenXx. Without her guidance, encouragement and help, you wouldn't be reading this! Thank you! Go check her out. She's got a new story she's working on called 'Lives in Chaos'. It's great!

Disclaimer*I do not own Twilight*

Across the Hall

Prologue

Somewhere on the continent of Africa:

"Son of a fucking cock sucking bitch! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

"Holy shit, Cullen! What the fuck is going on?"

"My fucking bitch whore of a wife just sent me divorce papers!"

"Damn, bro. That sucks. Do you want to talk about it?"

No, I didn't want to fucking talk about it. My brother warned me. I should have listened.

He told me six months ago that Lauren was fucking around on me. Emmett told me that he saw her and Paul coming out of a bar one night. Arms around each other, entirely too close to be just co-workers.

Alice thought there may have been a reasonable explanation. She told Lauren that she tried calling her and asked where had she been. Lauren flat out lied to her saying she was visiting her grandmother at the nursing home.

It had been going downhill ever since.

She had told me she would wait. She told me she would be able to cope, using my family to lean on. She promised me that my career would not be an issue. She promised to stay with me and love me forever. She stayed for two years.

I tried talking to her. Every time I called, she said everything was fine. No problems what so fucking ever. Every time I called, she was distant and cold. Detached.

If I was being honest with myself, Lauren and I should've never even gotten married. I was in the Marines, based in Seattle. We met when I was on a weekend pass and we fell in lust. We stayed there for a while. I didn't see her all that often, but she was nice to look at and was good company for a few hours during the weekend.

Two months after I met her, she told me she was pregnant and yes it was mine. A month after that, I did the 'right thing' and married her. She told me she loved me. My dad said I could grow to love her and regardless, she was carrying my child. Six months after I met her, three months after I married her, I got a new job.

I was recruited out of the Marines into a private security firm sanctioned by the government. Apparently I wasn't exactly cut out for the military. I had a hard time with authority, but was good at all the rest of the military shit, or at least, my recruiters recognized my potential. They carried out military style operations, black-ops stuff. I had no idea they even existed. There was a reason for that. They didn't. At least not to any of the fine, hard working everyday people.

The cover for the Twilight Corporation was that we provided and dealt with security issues for some major US companies with foreign offices. Yeah. Fucking NOT. We dealt with some hairy shit. Extractions, recovery, assassinations, kidnap/rescue, among other things. My specialty was kidnap & rescue situations. You would be surprised at how many kidnappings there were of Americans overseas. The kind of shit we deal with never makes it on CNN. I am currently based in Northern Africa.

Oh yeah, she was never pregnant. Some shit about a false positive home pregnancy test and a mix up at the clinic. That's when I should have left. However, we decided that we would try to make it work. She said she loved me and I was more than fond of her. I'd never been 'in love' before, so I thought that the fondness could've been love. Whenever I was home, she would shower me with attention and made me feel loved. I wasn't home much, so with what little time we spent together, I never saw the signs. The biggest fucking problem that I had was that I wasn't even there. I was thousands of miles away and couldn't deal with any of my motherfucking shit on my own.

And now I was staring at divorce papers and a letter from my dad.

**Dear Edward,**

**Son, I am sorry that I have to be the one to send these papers to you. Your Mother and I tried talking to Lauren. All she told us was that she wanted this divorce to be over quickly and that she was moving out of state with Paul.**

**Your mother and sister supervised her move out of the apartment. They made sure that most, if not all, of your things were left. As your lawyer, I have made sure that your interests, financial and otherwise, have been protected. I insisted that I draw up the papers with her lawyer. I believe that it is fair, but of course, you will have the final say on a settlement.**

**If you agree to the terms, you can just sign the papers and I will deal with the rest. If not, you'll have to come home. Please call me when you receive this.**

**We all love and miss you, son.**

**Dad**

**Meanwhile…..**

Jacksonville, FL

"Will you just get the fuck out of here and let me pack? I don't want anything that is your's or anything that is ours! I'll be gone tomorrow. Go visit one of your whores!"

"Stop being such a fucking bitch! Don't forget that most of those CD's are mine!"

"I'm only taking what is mine. Now get out of here before I call the cops! You do remember the restraining order? Stupid son of a bitch."

"You are such a bitch. You were a lousy lay. You're boring as fuck. And what the hell is wrong with you anyway? You've been in Florida for six years and you're still pale as a fucking ghost. I'll be glad when you're gone!"

I met James in our senior year of college. He swept me off my feet. All the girls wanted him but, he wanted me. My roommate tried to warn me. She told me that she had seen him out with another girl. Twice. Different girls. When I broached the subject with him, he gave a plausible excuse. And I believed him.

We were married four months after graduation. I got a job teaching high school English. James was an executive at an advertising agency. Everything seemed fine for the first six months of our marriage. That's when the red flags started popping up. I just didn't recognize them at the time.

Our home phone would ring and when I answered, the caller would hang up.

Occasionally, I would catch an unfamiliar scent in our apartment. Perfume. Which I did not wear. At the time, I chalked it all up to odd, but no big deal. Although, I had an uneasy feeling that I chose to ignore.

School kept me busy most of the time. I even spent two months of summer break teaching summer school. I blame my lack of attention for not noticing sooner. James got lazy about keeping his secret. Or he just didn't care anymore.

Three months ago, I found what I thought was a journal. I was surprised because James was not the journal keeper kind of guy. When I dropped it on his bedside table, it fell. Lying next to the 'journal' was a business card. There was a woman's name and phone number on the back, which in of itself, might not be a big deal. However, the red lipstick kiss next to the number was.

His 'journal' dated back to before I met him. It was filled with women's names, phone numbers and addresses. They were all dated and timed. There were descriptions to go along with each name. Even places where he met up with them.

He even rated them.

At first, I couldn't believe what I was looking at. It was his. I recognized his handwriting. As I sat there staring at it, reality sunk in. I recalled evening meetings. Long lunches. Weekend business meetings. The hang ups. The fucking perfume.

All of a sudden, I was extremely thankful for my home copier. I had purchased it for school. It made things easier for class hand outs and such.

I copied the entire fucking book and then put it back where I found it. Then I left. I wrote him a note saying that I was going to a friend's house for a 'girls night.' I didn't want to confront him until I had time to think about everything and decide what I wanted to do next.

I actually did go to a friend's house. My friend Jessica had never liked James. I cried on her shoulder. I screamed. She even gave me some ugly figurines to smash. After I calmed down, I was just pissed. Pissed at him. Pissed at my self. If I had been paying attention, I would have seen this.

As it was, I had not been paying attention. James and I were comfortable. He stopped sweeping me off my feet soon after we were married. I got complacent. I stayed busy with school. He was busy with work, as well, so we didn't spend a lot of time together. And I didn't mind.

I took a week to figure out what I was going to do. I remembered that I hated Florida. It was too damn hot. I only stayed here because of him. It was also far away from my family. My parents lived in Washington.

So, I made copies of the copies and filed divorce papers. I quit my job and searched for any openings around Forks. Finding a position in Port Angeles, I applied. It didn't matter if I got it or not, though. I was going with or without a job prospect.

One night, I told James that I really needed him to come home early. When he did, I sat him down at the kitchen table. I handed him the divorce papers. When he figured out what he was looking at, he said 'what the fuck is this?' Then I handed him the copies. He was flabbergasted to say the least. When he finally looked at me, I told him to get the fuck out until I moved. We yelled, he pushed me, hard, against the wall and I called the cops. The next day, I got a restraining order.

Now, my car is packed and I'm driving to Washington. I have a position secured at Port Angeles High, starting in the fall. They called as I was taping up my last box. I'll have two months to find my own place before school starts. Until then, I'll be staying with my parents in Forks.

**Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you Kari!

*I don't own Twilight*

**Across the Hall**

CH 2

EPOV

I had signed and sent the divorce papers back to my dad over a month ago. I was finally able to get a month's leave from Twilight to go home and handle my shit. I just needed to get my head straight. Not to mention, I haven't had a vacation in fucking forever.

I was standing on the sidewalk wondering where in the hell Alice was, when a car came zipping by, screeching to a halt.

I bent my head down to see into the car. I saw my pretty baby sister. Her dark hair was shorter than the last time I had seen her. She must be doing well at work, her clothes looked high end.

"Edward! Get in! I'm sorry I'm late. I was showing an apartment and it ran long." Alice explained.

"That's alright, Ali. I wasn't waiting very long." Alice grabbed me into a hug as soon as I was in the car.

"It's so good to see you. I missed you!" Alice cried. Two years separated me and my little sister, but we had always been close.

"I missed you, too. How have you been?" She was positively glowing.

"Good. Great, actually. I'm seeing a great guy named Jasper. Business is good, too. I started showing rentals, since housing sales are down. That's why I was late. I was showing this girl an apartment in your building."

"Sounds like you're happy. So, _Jasper_, huh? Tell me about him."

"Jazz is the assistant principal at Port Angeles high school. He is twenty-seven, tall, light brown hair and treats me wonderfully. He is the one who recommended me to the new teacher I showed the apartment to. So, Edward. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Ali. I guess I'm just glad that this is over. This shit with Lauren was a long time coming. She is gone, right?"

"Yes. She left almost a month ago. As soon as Dad told her that you signed the papers and were sending them back, she took off. Bitch," she muttered.

"Good, at least I don't have to see her. Does Mom have anything planned for tonight?"

"No, just dinner. With the holiday this weekend, she thought that would be enough of a welcome home party."

Alice pulled into the drive that leads to the parking garage at my building. One of the main reasons I picked this apartment was because of the security. You needed to enter a code to get in. They had security guards, too. With me spending so much time away, I wanted my bike and car to be protected.

"Thanks Alice. What time is Mom expecting me for dinner?"

"You know Mom. She wanted me to bring you straight to her, so anytime you want to go over will be fine with her. Dinner will be around six, though. See you then. Call me if you need anything." Alice sped off, barely allowing me to get clear.

I went into the garage just to eye-ball my rides. Everything looked okay. I'd give them a thorough once over later. I rode the elevator up to the fifth and top floor.

The apartments were big, only four per floor. That was another reason I liked this place. Less people to deal with. It wasn't that I didn't like people. It's just that with my line of work, the fewer people around, the better.

I unlocked my door and entered my place. _shit_. I barely recognized it. With all of Lauren's shit gone, it's practically empty. I walked through, taking a mental inventory of what I'd need to replace. She had left me with a sofa, a TV, the kitchen table and chairs and one lamp. I checked my wall safe in the back of the closet. It was untouched.

I needed some coffee. She had left the coffee maker, only because she didn't drink it.

I actually found some grounds, but no fucking filters! No paper towels, either. I could've gotten by with that. I hated borrowing crap from neighbors, but I was in no mood to go anywhere right now.

I knocked on the door across from mine. A really beautiful woman answered the door. Her dark brown hair was put up and a little messy. She had big, brown eyes and pretty, pink, pouty lips.

"Hi. I'm your neighbor, Edward Cullen. I live right here." I told her pointing to my door. "Would you happen to have a coffee filter?" I was exhausted from my trip, but smiled politely.

"Hello, I'm Bella. Yes I do. Wait just a moment and I'll get you one." I got a little peek at her as she walked away. Nice ass.

She came back shortly with a few filters and handed them to me with a smile.

"Here you go," she said.

"Thank you. I really appreciate this," I smiled, giving her the trademarked Cullen grin. My mother said it could be devastating if used properly.

"Are you new here?" she asked me. Bella leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed. Her shirt slipped down her shoulder a bit showing off a dark blue strap. _wonder what the rest of it looks like._

"No. My work keeps me away, sometimes for months. I just got back," I explained, hoping she wouldn't ask any more questions.

"Oh. Okay. Well, it was nice meeting you, Edward." She smiled and I noticed how her eyes sparkled.

"Nice to meet you, too. And thanks again." I told her as I turned to go back through my door.

I made some coffee and hopped in the shower. At least she left the fucking towels.

I drank my coffee while making a list of things I would need to get within the next few days. I had a couple hours to kill before heading to my parents house so I turned on the TV. I 'm not sure how long it took for me to doze off, but my phone woke me at five-fifteen.

"Cullen." I grumbled.

"Edward! How the hell are you, bro?" Emmett hollered. My older brother was the size of a Mack truck. Everything about him was larger than life. Even his voice.

"Hey, Em. Good. Got in a few hours ago," I said, rubbing a hand over my face.

"You going to the 'rents for dinner?" My brother must have gotten the same gene as our sister. He had seemingly endless energy.

"Yes, I am. You?"

"Bring your bike. We'll take a ride after dinner."

"Sounds good, Em. See you later."

"See you, Ed."

A couple hours later, I was pulling my Harley into my parents driveway. They lived just outside of Port Angeles in a house that was too big for them now. I don't think they saw it that way, though. I recall my mom saying something about grandkids.

Before I could get off my bike, Mom, Dad, Alice and I assume Jasper, were out the door coming to greet me.

"Edward!" -Alice

"You're here!" -Mom

"Son, good to see you." -Dad

They were all talking at the same time. I hugged my mother first.

"Hi Mom. I've missed you." My mother was still as beautiful as ever.

"I'm so happy you're home. Are you hungry?" My mother was always trying to feed someone.

"Yes, starving." I told her turning to hug my father. "Hey, Dad."

"Glad you're here, son." He clapped me on the back. My Dad was a great guy. He always made time for us whether it was some activity we were involved in or just to talk.

"Edward. This is my boyfriend Jasper Whitlock. Jazz, this is Edward." Alice was beaming.

"Nice to meet you Jasper." I said shaking his hand and gripping it a little tighter than necessary. He didn't seem phased by it at all.

"Same here, Edward. Alice has told me a lot about you," he said. Maybe this guy was alright.

"Well, let's get in the house and get my boy fed," Mom said. see?

We sat around the table catching up on everything we'd missed in each other's lives. My parents were just as happy as they ever were. Sometimes it amazes me how well they work together. Both personally and professionally. They set the bar pretty high for the rest of us.

Emmett showed up with his fiancée, Rosalie, shortly after we sat down. She was a nice girl once you got to know her. When I first met her, I made some comment she didn't like and she called me a dick. In front of my parents. The girl has balls. But, she is fiercely loyal and loves Emmett, so I can't complain.

Jasper took me a little longer to figure out. He was quiet. A thought crossed my mind that Alice would eat him alive. The more I watched and listened, I found out that wasn't the case. They balanced each other. I thought I might give him a hard time, but after I watched the two of them interact, I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I found out that Jasper owned a motorcycle, too. We agreed to go out riding sometime.

It was nice reminiscing and getting caught up with everyone. I had missed this. I hadn't been home in six months.

After dinner, Emmett and I took off for a ride around the lake. We stopped at a picnic area just off the side of the road. We sat at the picnic tables just shooting the shit.

"Hey man, you okay with this Lauren shit?" my brother asked me.

"Yeah, I am. I was pissed at first. I asked her every time I talked to her if things were alright. She was distant, but insisted that nothing was wrong. I'm angry with myself as well. I just feel used. I don't care that she's gone, though," I confessed.

"She left the apartment practically empty. It was strange walking in there. Although, I'm glad she didn't leave anything to remind me of her. Honestly? I'm just glad it's over."

"Dude, you need to go find some girl and have some fun," he laughed.

"Em, you know that's not my style. I wouldn't mind getting drunk, though."

"The Labor Day party starts in two days. I've got the weekend off, so we **will **party."

Our parents have a big party every year. It usually spans three days. They have games, an obstacle course and other activities, food, drink, you name it. It is a huge, well organized affair.

"Em, I'm going to go home. Tell Mom and Dad that I'll call them tomorrow."

"Later, Ed." Emmet sped off for home. Emmett was the only person I let get away with calling me anything but my full name. He's the one that started calling Alice 'Ali'.

By the time I got home, it was nine-thirty. I stopped off at the corner market to get a few things to hold me over for a few days. I stripped down and put on a pair of pajama pants, opened a beer and flipped on the TV. I found a sheet and a throw pillow for the sofa. My bed.

An hour into the movie I was watching, there was a knock at the door. _who the fuck is knocking at ten-thirty_. I looked through the peep hole and saw the woman from across the hall.

"Hi. Bella, right? What can I do for you?" She had on a short, silky, dark purple robe and slippers. Damn, what an enjoyable sight that was. Her boyfriend was a lucky guy.

"Can you come over? I have an emergency!" she said frantically as she turned with me following her into her apartment. "I'm sorry. The manager is gone for the holiday and I don't know anyone here. The water won't shut off!"

She led me to her bathroom where the tub was almost overflowing. I turned the knob to no avail. I found the access panel to the bathroom plumbing and turned the water off.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She bounced around, her obviously braless tits bouncing, too. Not that I cared. It was just hard to ignore. Really hard to ignore.

"No problem." I showed her where the shut off valve was located. "It's probably just a seal. You'll have to use your guest bathroom until the manager can fix it." I told her walking towards the door. I needed to get out of there before she caught me ogling her. It had been more than 6 months since I'd been with a woman, and she was making things extremely difficult.

"Thank you, again. I'm sorry to have bothered you," she said. _no bother at all._

"It's perfectly fine. That's what neighbors are for, right? Have a good night, Bella."

I texted my sister when I got back inside my apartment asking her if she had time to shop with me tomorrow. _stupid question_. She texted back that she would be at my place at ten a.m.

I got back in 'bed' and finished the movie falling asleep around midnight. I vaguely remember dreaming about purple satin.

I woke up to someone knocking on my door _again_. Anyone who would be visiting me has the code to get into the building, a key and/or knows to buzz the intercom if I'm home. No unannounced visitors. That's the way I like it. Things like that help to keep me alive. So, I'm guessing it is my lovely neighbor. Yep.

"Good morning, Bella." I say unenthused. I am cranky when I wake up.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you? I wanted to bring you this," she shoved a bag at me, "for helping me last night."

"That's okay, I needed to get up soon anyway. What is this?" I asked peering into the bag. There were a couple bagels and a cup of coffee inside. "Thanks. Although this wasn't necessary."

"Think nothing of it. Thanks again. Have a nice holiday!" she disappeared through her door. Having her for a neighbor will be much more enjoyable than the cranky old lady who used to live there.

"Huh," I said to myself, closing the door. The intercom buzzed as I passed the 'bed.'

"Yeah?" I buzzed back.

"I'm on my way up." Alice was here. I cracked the door open for her. A few minutes later, she walked in.

"I'm getting in the shower, Ali. I've got to get some furniture today. There's a list on the counter. Take a look at it and figure out where we've got to go."

Half an hour later, I came out dressed and ready to go. Alice was walking in my door.

"Where were you?" I asked before biting into my bagel.

"I needed to deliver a message to your neighbor from Jasper. School stuff," she offered.

"I'll drive. You ready?" I asked Alice.

I had to endure Alice dragging me around five different stores, but, I've got a bed being delivered today and the rest next week. I had to pay the delivery guys extra to get my bed here today. I took Alice out for an early dinner to thank her for helping me and went home to wait for my bed. I briefly wondered if Bella would like to see it.

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you for reading! My thanks to Kari-couldn't have done this without you!

Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight and me!

**Across the Hall**

CH 3

BPOV

About two weeks after I had moved into my new apartment, I was still unpacking. I couldn't believe that I had lucked out finding this place. The assistant principal at my new school gave me the card of a real estate agent who dealt with rentals. She showed me this place and I fell in love with it. The building had great security and the apartment was huge.

So, when someone knocked on my door, I was a little surprised. Visitors had to buzz the intercom or know the door code to get in. I looked through the peep hole and saw a really good looking, albeit somewhat disheveled, guy standing outside my door.

He introduced himself as my neighbor and asked to borrow coffee filters. I asked if he had just moved in, because the entire time I had been here, I never noticed anyone coming or going from across the hall. Apparently, whatever he does for work, it keeps him away for long periods of time.

I continued to finish unpacking. I wanted to get it done because, a.) school starts soon and I don't want the headache; and b.) My best friend from high school is coming by next week and I wanted my place to look nice. Thankfully, I had made a new friend. The woman who showed me my apartment offered to help me furniture shop. She was really helpful and we got along great. I'm having lunch with her on Tuesday.

I put a movie in the DVD player and ate my dinner of soup and a sandwich. When it was over, I tackled the last box. Next, I ironed my clothes for school, which started next week.

I decided to call it a night and take a bath. I started the water and went back into the bedroom to undress. When I went to shut the water off, it wouldn't. The handle just spun. I ran to the phone and called the manager. I got a message saying that he was gone for the holiday weekend already. _Shit!_ All I could think to do was ask my neighbor for help.

I ran to his door praying he was home. I begged him to help me and thankfully, he followed me over. It took him like, a minute to get the water turned off. I didn't even know the access panel was there.

I hadn't even noticed that all he had on was pajama pants. Hanging dangerously low. Holy crap, he was built. Not like huge, muscle bound, weight lifter built. He was athletically muscular and broad shouldered, sporting a six pack, I think. I didn't have enough time to get a good look. I was in such a panic I didn't notice until I lost the opportunity. _Fuck! _Apparently I didn't notice that all _I_ was wearing was a really short, thin robe.

I thanked him, then took my bath and went to bed. My mother was coming over tomorrow. I was going to need all the energy I could muster.

I woke up early and got ready for the day. I went down to the corner market to pick up some coffee and bagels for my mother's visit. While I was choosing bagels, I decided to get my neighbor some, too. Just as a 'thank you' for the water incident. I think I woke him up, he seemed a little grumpy. But, he thanked me nicely for the food.

A little after ten, there was a knock on my door. Hmm, maybe it's my neighbor again. No one buzzed me and no one has a key.

Looking out my peep hole, I see Alice.

"Good morning, Bella. Jasper wanted me to give you directions to the party tomorrow." She handed me a folded piece of paper.

"Thanks, Alice. Good morning to you, too. Would you like to come in for coffee?"

"No thanks. I'm taking my brother out shopping today." She was pointing at my neighbor's door. "But, I'll see you tomorrow. Bye." She gave me a little wave.

"See you tomorrow." I wondered why she didn't tell me her brother lived across the hall from me. It's no big deal, I just found it a little odd that she didn't mention it.

I got some plates out and waited for my mother. I wasn't looking forward to this. I had agreed to tell my mom today what had happened with James. My mother could be difficult to be around sometimes. She was erratic and impulsive and often acted like a friend instead of a parent. Her small florist shop in Forks allowed her to be as creative and impulsive as she wanted. She was able to interact with a lot of the customers, so she was always up on the gossip.

My father was the exact opposite. Being the Chief of Police in Forks, he was a serious guy. He didn't talk a lot, but when he did, everyone listened. He wasn't mean or anything, he just let my mother take the spotlight. She by no means walked all over him, but when he felt it necessary, he spoke up and took charge. I guess they complement each other. They found a balance.

When I first got home, all I told my parents was that James cheated on me. Had I said anymore, my father would have been on the first plane to Florida. With his gun.

"Hi Mom!" I hugged her and ushered her in.

"Oh, Isabella, this place is beautiful. Are you all done unpacking?" She gave the place a thorough look.

"I just finished last night, actually." I told her about the bathtub incident, leaving out the fact that my neighbor was half dressed and fuckhot.

We settled onto my new sofa with our coffee and bagels and began our discussion.

"Okay, Bella. Tell me what happened, honey." Yep, she's in 'friend' mode.

I told my mom every sordid detail. I told her about the 'nookie notebook', as I now called it, and all the signs of his cheating that I now recognized. The last thing I told her was the reason I had a restraining order against him.

"That son of a bitch! If I ever see him again, I'll castrate him!" My mother screeched.

"Mom, we'll probably never see him again. Why would we? He'd never even been to Washington until we got married."

"Well, just in case, you should get another restraining order against him for this state. Your father can take care of that."

"You're probably right. Although, I highly doubt he would seek me out."

"How are you doing with all this, sweetheart?" Mom put her arm around me.

"I feel pretty good. I mean, I don't miss him. I'm not grieving the death of our marriage or anything like that. I do feel a little humiliated, though. I should have seen it a long time ago."

"Bella, from what you've told me, James really had his little game pretty well organized. If you hadn't have found the notebook, who knows when you would have found out. You need to put this all behind you and find a _nice_ man."

"Mom, I'm not looking for anyone right now. I'm starting at a new school next week and that is what I'm focusing on."

"Have you seen Angela yet?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I talked to her, she's coming over Wednesday evening." Angela and I spent so much time together, our families ended up being close, as well.

"You are coming over this weekend, right?" I had to spend at least one day of the holiday weekend with them.

"I'm busy tomorrow. I was invited, along with the rest of the faculty to a big party. I thought I'd come over on Sunday. I'm kind of playing it by ear."

"Alright dear, I know you're still getting settled. We'd really like you to come over, though." She said this as if I hadn't lived with them for the last month and a half.

"I've got to go buy some linens and stop at a grocery store. Want to come with?" I asked my mother.

"Yes. I can show you around a little. Things have changed somewhat since you've been gone."

Mom and I spent the next few hours shopping. I bought some new sheets and some bathroom towels. I needed to stock my kitchen as well. By the time we were done, I was exhausted. Mom left after helping me bring everything in.

When I was in the coffee aisle at the store, I grabbed an extra box of filters. I really don't know what possessed me to do it, but…after I put my groceries away, I tiptoed into the hall and placed the extra box next to my neighbor's door.

As I was sitting down to dinner, my cell rang. I didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella? This is Alice. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure, what's up, Alice."

"…" Nothing. Must have been disconnected. Now someone's knocking on the door.

"Alice? Um, what's going on?" I said to her when I opened the door.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I really didn't mean to hang up on you. I was at the elevator and got an idea."

"Okay…what idea?"

"Well, I thought I could help you decide what to wear tomorrow." She was positively quivering with excitement.

"I don't mean to be rude, but, why would you care?" Who is this crazy woman?

"Oh, it was just a thought. Since I'm here, why don't you show me what you were planning on wearing?" She asked smiling innocently.

"Well," I started while walking into my bedroom, "I hadn't picked anything out yet." Alice looked horrified. "What?" I asked in response to the look she gave me.

She ignored me. "You have some really pretty things in here, Bella." She said running her hands across the front of the clothing in the closet. "What do you think about this?" she asked, pulling out a sweater dress.

"Alice, I'm pretty sure it's forecasted to be nice tomorrow. That dress will be too warm."

"Yes, you're right. Ooh, this is pretty. You should wear this." She was holding a dark blue sundress. "Do you have a sweater or light jacket to wear with it?"

"I have a white sweater that I can wear with it."

"Perfect! You'll look fabulous! Wait. What shoes are you wearing?"

"I'll wear my wedgy flip flops."

"Huh?" she looked dumbfounded.

"They're flip flops, but not flat. They have, like a wedge heel."

Alice laughed. "I knew what you meant. I was just thinking that maybe if you had something with a heel?"

"Umm, no. I am not wearing heels with a sundress to a picnic! Wait. Alice? What is this really all about?" I could tell she was up to something.

"Uh…well, I really like you Bella and I, uh, wanted to hang out with you and do something girly." She looked at me like a lost puppy.

"Uh-huh. Is that the only reason?"

"Fine. Yes, it is true what I said. I think you and I will be great friends. But, there will be a lot of single men there, and I was just thinking…"

"Stop. Alice I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I am not interested in meeting men right now. The ink is barely dry on my divorce papers. I'm not sure I'll be able to trust a man ever again, quite honestly. I do think that you and I could be good friends, though."

"Alright, Bella. I'm sorry. Let me leave you with some friendly advice, okay? Don't close yourself off. You never know when true love will strike. There are plenty of good men out there." She said sweetly as we reached the door.

We were standing with the door open, Alice was in the hall. "Thank you for the advice. I'll try to keep it in mind. I'll wear the dress. With the wedges!" We both laughed. Edward's door opened.

"What are you guys doing out here?" He asked.

"I was just leaving. See you both tomorrow." she giggled, headed for the elevator. "Hey, Edward. Is that yours?" she pointed to the coffee filters that were still on the floor, then turned and got on the elevator.

I choked and turned five shades of red. Edward reached down and picked them up.

He just looked at the box for a minute, like it was something more than just coffee filters. Then he smiled and simply said 'thank you.'

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then. Goodnight, Bella." He said calmly.

"Night Edward. See you tomorrow." Damn that man is hot.

I really didn't know what to make of the entire evening. Alice was gregarious, and a little pushy. I did like her, though. She was growing on me. And what was with Edward? He seemed _touched_ by my little gift of filters. I had half meant it as a joke.

I didn't have it in me to think too hard about the oddly behaving siblings. I re-warmed my dinner and checked my e-mail before going to bed.

Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed! Thanks always to Kari :)**

**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight-not me!**

**Across the Hall**

CH 4

EPOV

The delivery guys showed up last night about an hour after Alice left. I was so fucking happy just having my new bed set up. It was great. Using a kitchen chair for a table, I brought the TV into the bedroom. I'll be really fucking happy when the rest of my furniture gets here next week.

As I lay here in my bed, I find myself thinking about those damn coffee filters. This girl, who I barely know, buys me coffee filters. Maybe it was supposed to be a joke. It was nice, though. It made me feel good. It was a thoughtful gesture. _Fuck it! _I'm overanalyzing this shit.

I got up and around to leave for my parents house. The party was starting at noon, and I told them I'd be there to help set up. I made sure to pack a duffel with extra clothes.

I own a Maserati Gran Turismo and I fucking love it. This car was the biggest purchase I have made since being recruited. That was one of the perks of my job. I was paid _very _well. I didn't get the chance to enjoy my car nearly enough. I cranked the radio and headed out down the road.

It had been a couple of years since I had been around to attend this party. My parent's first party was when I was a junior in high school. It has grown since then into what it is today. The last time I attended was right after I married Lauren. I was considering this one a celebration of my divorce.

I parked my car and walked around to the back of the house. My parents hired help for some of the set up, but a lot of it we did ourselves. Emmett was working on the obstacle course as I approached him.

"Hey Em, need some help?" I offered.

"Edward! Hell yes. The first half is done, we just need to set the tires up, the slip 'n slides and Alice is bringing the clothes."

The obstacle course we set up is crazy. We have tricycles, tires, dress up, crawling, hopping, and at the end, you have to go down a slip 'n slide. You don't _have_ to go down it, some people don't want to get wet.

"We're here!" I turned to see Alice bouncing across the lawn with Jasper weighed down by an overflowing box of clothes.

She hugged me then whispered something to Emmett. They both chuckled and glanced at me, smiling like fools.

"What the fuck are you two grinning about?" I sneered.

I was starting to get a little nervous. My sister had something up her sleeve. She has been acting…off. The smiles she'd been giving me and some of the things she's said had my guard up.

We'd all been working for about an hour when Alice jumped up and ran around to the front of the house. Shortly after, she came walking back with my neighbor. Bella. It was still more than an hour before the party was 'officially' starting so I was a little surprised to see her.

I kept at my task not saying anything. I was taking a nonchalant approach for the time being. My sense of self preservation was kicking in. I was beginning to surmise that Bella was a component in whatever Alice was cooking up.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I must have put down the wrong time on your directions." I overheard Alice say. "Since you're here, though, would you like to help us finish setting up?" Alice was the epitome of innocence.

Bella looked frustrated, crossing her arms across her chest and staring down my sister. The fierceness in her eyes was enticing.

"Alice, because I am already here, I will stay and help. Because I do genuinely like you and want to be friends with you, I will stay. However, because I _do_ want to be friends, you need to either come clean with whatever bullshit you're trying to pull, or Stop. Manipulating. Me." Bella's face was contorted into a scowl.

"Well, I guess she told her," I muttered to myself. Note to self: don't piss Bella off.

Alice and Bella walked off, still talking. Emmett was smiling and shaking his head.

"Em, you want to let me in on what's going on?" I asked. He looked at me for a minute before speaking.

"All I know is Alice really likes Bella. And…she may have said something about you and her would make a good match." he mumbled the last part.

"What? Damn it, Em, I just got divorced. I am not looking for that. Besides, I'm leaving in a month." I ran my hand through my hair.

"Edward. First of all, there is nothing wrong with getting to know her. Second, you can't control when the right one shows up. Look at me and Rosie."

Emmett and Rosalie met right after he'd gotten royally screwed over by a woman. It had left him reeling. They took it slow for the first couple of months, but they've been on the fast track since then.

"I have been getting to know her. We've talked a few times, she seems very nice. That's it. Let it go." I ordered. "We need to finish setting up, so get your ass in gear."

We finished the obstacle course and checked with dad to see what else needed to be done.

"The bounce house needs blowing up, the karaoke needs setting up and Edward, you need to make sure your grill area is ready. You've got the first shift. Move out boys." he directed, waving us off.

We took off in different directions and finished setting up our areas. I noticed that Bella was separating the clothes for the obstacle course.

There were two tables, one on either side of the course. When a contestant reached that area, they had to dress in three items of clothing that were to be worn for the remainder of the race. The men dressed in women's clothes and vice versa. That had been Emmett's contribution a few years ago.

She was snickering as she saw the clothing choices. They usually ran from just plain ugly to silly. There was even women's underwear.

She looked like she was enjoying herself. The sun shining on her skin made it sparkle, contrasting nicely with the dark blue of her dress. I shook my head, wondering where these thoughts were coming from.

Although, that dress is almost the same exact color of my car. Yeah, that's why I noticed it. I ordered my car with that specific color, I had to pay extra for it.

"You done over here?" Emmett asked, handing me a beer.

"Yeah, let's go sit down and get this party started," I said clinking my beer bottle with his.

We called Jasper over to the chairs I had set up by the grills. We kicked back and waited for people to start showing up.

BPOV

I was beginning to feel like Alice's pet. She was manipulating me, but I had no idea why. I was going to find out, though.

"Alice, the clothes are separated. Is there anything else I can do?" I said as I walked to what looked like a karaoke machine.

"No, everything is done. We can hang out for a while now. Come sit with me."

"Alice, I'd like to talk to you about something," I started, "I divorced my husband because he cheated on me. A lot." I paused to make sure I had her full attention. "I have some trust issues right now. I would really appreciate it if you would be completely honest with me." I gave her a look that said it was now her turn to speak.

She took a deep breath, "Bella, I am sincerely sorry. I really didn't mean anything by it. I really like you." Alice grasped my hand. "I don't have many close girlfriends and, I don't know, I feel drawn to you." I smiled at her, squeezing her hand. "Um, there is something else." Alice looked a little uneasy. "I have been, kind of, um, trying to get you and my brother together." she stammered.

"Alice!" I dropped her hand.

"Let me explain." she asked. "I've been trying to get you to interact, spend time around each other. He's just been through something similar as you and after I met you, I knew you two would be great together. I just wanted you to become friends." She seemed genuine.

"We have been talking. We've helped each other out with some neighborly things the past couple of days. He does seem nice and I wouldn't mind being his friend." I shrugged my shoulders. "That's all I looking for right now. With starting at a new school and moving," I sighed, shaking my head, "I'm only focusing on adjusting to my new life."

"Okay, Bella. My match making is done. Just don't close yourself off to the idea of love. You never know." she patted my knee. "Now, let's get a beer and start having some fun."

Alice and I walked over to where Edward and a few other people had gathered.

"Everyone, this is my friend," she smiled at me, "Isabella Swan, but she prefers Bella. She is the new advanced English teacher at the high school. Bella, this is my brother Emmett, you know Edward and Jasper, and my parents Carlisle and Esme."

"Hello, it's nice to meet you all. Thank you for inviting me today." I told the group.

"It's nice to meet you, Bella. You are more than welcome here." Esme said.

"Swan? Are you related to Charles Swan?" Emmett asked.

"He is my father. Do you know him?" I took an empty chair next to Jasper.

"He and I have worked together before. I am a police officer here in Port Angeles."

"Yes, well, I'll be seeing him on Sunday. I'll have to mention that." I smiled.

"What is it that you do, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen?" I asked as Alice handed me a beer.

"Please, Carlisle and Esme. We are lawyers, we have a small firm in town," Carlisle answered.

"That must be nice, working together," I mused. I turned to look at my neighbor.

"What is it that you do, Edward? You mentioned the other day that you're gone a lot," I asked. I noticed that his hair was messy again. Maybe it's always like that.

"I do security work overseas. We are contracted by U.S. companies that have foreign offices. They prefer to have their security handled by Americans."

"That sounds interesting." I was intrigued. I thought he was a business executive or something. "You must get to travel a lot."

"I am currently based in Northern Africa, but do travel around a bit." That was all he offered.

Before I could ask another question, some guests came around the corner of the house effectively ending the conversation. Edward smiled at me and got up to greet them.

I was introduced to a couple of teachers by Jasper and we struck up a conversation about school. By the time we were done talking, a lot more people had shown up.

"Bella," I turned to the voice calling me. It was Emmett who was with a pretty blond woman. If you hadn't heard Emmett speak, you'd find him awfully intimidating. He was a big guy. Tall and extremely muscular. "This is my fiancée, Rosalie. Rosie, this is Bella Swan."

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, Rosalie," I said extending my hand. This woman was beautiful. She had a nice figure and an air about her that screamed poise and perfection.

"Hi, Bella. It's good to meet you, too. So, you're a teacher, I hear?" she asked. Emmett left us to talk.

Rosalie told me she owned and ran a daycare center. She also told me about her and Emmet's wedding coming up before Christmas. We continued talking about our jobs and such as we walked around. She would point people out to me, telling me a little about each. Rose, like Emmett, was nothing like she had first seemed. I found her to be really pleasant and could see us becoming good friends. We made our way back to the patio where the grills were.

We were joined by Alice and Jasper and we all decided that we were ready to eat.

"What have you got on the grills, Edward?" I asked noticing that he was working both big grills.

"Ha! Just about anything you could think of. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken, veggie burgers. What sounds good?" he asked. He was wearing an apron that read 'The Boss'. The smoke from the grill was swirling around his head making his eyes water a little. They were a brilliant shade of green and the tears just made them that much more vivid.

"Well, _boss_, I think I'll try a burger, please," I said laughing, Alice and Jasper joined me.

It took him a second to figure out why I called him boss. He laughed and waved his spatula at me. I filled my plate from the nearby table that was holding various salads and side dishes. I went back to the chairs we had sat in earlier and found myself next to Emmett. Carlisle sat in the seat on the other side of me.

I found the Cullens wonderful. Everyone was very friendly and talkative. We picked partners for a couple of games. I was paired up with Emmett for one and Esme for the other. Alice talked me into doing karaoke with her and was surprised that I had already planned on doing the obstacle course.

After losing the three-legged race with Esme and winning the bean bag toss with Emmett, it was time for the obstacle course. I decided that I wasn't dressed appropriately to participate, so I watched from the side lines.

There were enough people that wanted to run the course to have three separate races. Emmett won the first race, while Edward won the second. The third was won by a girl who looked close to my age. Alice told me she was a family friend named Tanya. She was a pretty girl with reddish-blond hair. And tall. I'd kill to have her legs. She had a scowl on her face and I got an odd feeling that it was directed at me. I've never seen nor spoken to this woman before, so I was bewildered as to what her problem was.

The three of them ran the final race of the day to determine the winner. Emmett and Edward were neck and neck for most of the race, but Emmett got hung up fighting with the dress he was trying to put on. Edward sailed through to the end, winning the race. Tanya came in a distant third. She wrapped herself around Edward to congratulate him. By the look on his face, I don't think he liked it very much.

When early evening rolled around, it was announced that it was time for karaoke. Edward and his dad sang a great rendition of Bob Seger's 'Turn the Page'.

Emmett sang 'Wanted Dead or Alive' by Bon Jovi, really hamming it up. Rosalie played air guitar behind him.

Alice and I did 'Copa Cabana', the Barry Manilow classic. We butchered it! Still, it was a lot of fun, with the crowd cheering everyone on. The winner was chosen by applause. I hadn't met the person, but gathered that, by the people congratulating him, he was part of Tanya's family.

Alice was trying to convince me to come back tomorrow. The entire family joined in telling me that I just _had_ to come. We sat around a fire pit talking for an hour or so before I said goodbye to everyone, promising to return the next day.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank You Kari!**

***Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight **

* * *

CH 5

EPOV

I woke up with the sun shining brightly in my eyes, my head pounding and my mouth tasting like ass. Not that I would actually know what that tastes like. I took a look at my surroundings, not immediately recognizing where I was. _Oh_. Now I remember. I stayed at my parent's house. Lots of drinking with Em and Jasper. After the party broke up last night, we sat around playing cards and drinking. Jasper both kicked our asses at cards and drank us under the table. That's saying something, because me and Emmett can put it away.

I rolled myself out of my bed and hit the shower, grateful that I remembered to bring extra clothes. I washed away the stench of alcohol and the veil of sleep.

Letting the hot water roll over me, my thoughts went to my neighbor, Bella. She seemed to enjoy herself yesterday. I didn't get to spend much time with her, but enjoyed the time I did. She struck me as intelligent and fun, although she appeared to be a little reserved. Compared to what? I asked myself. The only women in my life were either co-workers or family.

Lauren and I didn't spend much one on one time together. For most of my marriage, I was gone. When we were spending time together, at least early on, we had a good time. After we found out she wasn't pregnant, it was almost as if she would've rather been somewhere else. I only figured that out in hindsight. She put up a good show. She would play the doting wife for the few days I would be home. It was all perfunctory, though. She would say all the right things, do the right things. I figured out what had been missing. Her heart wasn't in it.

I didn't want to compare Bella to Lauren. Hell, I wasn't sure why I was thinking about her in the first place. Well, I would just follow Em's advice and be her friend. I wasn't ready to do any more than that anyway.

I toweled off and pulled on some shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt. When I walked into the kitchen, Mom and Dad were curled around each other in an intimate embrace. I felt both warmth and the pang of envy at the sight of them. I was elated that my parents still had that 'spark', but I wanted that for myself as well.

"Hey, don't let me interrupt," I told them scooting around them to get to the coffee.

"We won't," my Dad chuckled. Mom pecked him on the cheek and turned to the stove.

"Edward, scrambled or fried?" My mother is the only person who can fry eggs the way I like them.

"Fried, definitely." I smiled hugely. "Please." I added.

As Dad and I were eating, the rest of our family meandered in. It appeared that everyone but Rose spent the night, too.

Emmett and I were discussing what needed setting up today when I overheard Alice mention Bella to my Mother.

"…yeah, I guess he cheated on her. I got the idea that it happened a lot," said Alice

"Poor Bella," my Mother lamented. "She is such a nice girl."

I pulled myself away from their conversation, empathizing with Bella. Maybe that was why I thought she was reserved. That kind of experience shows on the outside, too. I knew first hand how it felt to have that kind of betrayal and humiliation. It leaves you feeling raw and vulnerable.

Emmett knocked me on the shoulder, getting my attention back to our conversation.

Today's festivities would include most of the people that were here yesterday and more of the same activities. Emmett initiated the eating contest four years ago. There are two pie eating contests and two hot dog eating contests. Some of the kids grumbled about not being able to participate, so the kids have their own contests.

I didn't pull grill duty today, so I get to play all day. Emmett left to go pick up Rose, while Dad and I checked the course. It gets torn up pretty good with all the crazy shit you've got to do to get through it.

Emmett returned and joined Jasper, Dad and I who were throwing a football around. The guests started arriving, with the majority of them bringing pies for the contest. Whatever extras were leftover, we just added to the dessert table.

Some more guys joined us and we started a real game. It was decided that it would be the Cullens vs. the guests. I loved the game, both playing and watching it. A large group gathered to watch us play.

I glanced over the crowd and noticed Tanya was here. I had managed to avoid her yesterday, for the most part. Her family, the Denali's, have been friends of ours for years. Almost the entire time, she has had designs on me. That is putting it lightly. She has made it perfectly clear that she wants me. On the night of my graduation, I found her in my bed. Naked. I haven't had to deal with her much over the last few years, but I'm sure she heard of my divorce by now. Great.

Jasper missed the pass I threw and it went into the crowd. My eyes fell on Bella, who had picked up the ball. Jasper held his hands out for it and she just smirked at him. She then cocked her arm back and threw the ball back to me. I had to jump to catch it. _Fuck me._ I looked at her in astonishment and she just waved at me. I've never seen a girl throw a ball like that. Damn, that shit made my dick twitch. I focused myself and ran a few more plays before the game was called.

Alice announced that it was time for the hot dog eating contest. I was not participating in this. I scanned the crowd for Bella, wanting to find out where she learned to throw a football like that when Tanya appeared right in front of me.

"Hi Edward. Great game. It reminded me of all your games in high school. You haven't lost your touch," she said as her hand ran over my forearm. I jerked it away, her touch made my skin crawl.

"Yeah, thanks. I heard you were engaged. Where's your fiancé?" I asked as I crossed my arms over my chest. She seemed surprised that I knew.

"Oh, yes. Well, Tyler is with his family for the holiday. We'll have to get together when he gets back. So, how have you been Edward?" She took a step closer to me.

"Everything is good, Tanya. I don't mean to be rude, but, there is someone I need to speak with. See you later?" I didn't give her a chance to respond as I walked around her.

I found Bella standing by the table cheering Emmett and Jasper on. I had a profile view of her. She was wearing jean shorts and a v-neck t-shirt. She looked hot. I shook the thought away as I approached her.

"Hey," I said bumping her shoulder with my own. "Who's winning?"

"I'm not sure, I lost count. Eww." she scrunched her face up watching Emmett shoving another hot dog in his mouth.

"Disgusting, isn't it?" I laughed.

"Yes, it is. Didn't I see your name on the pie list, though?" Bella arched her eyebrow at me.

"Well, yeah, it's pie. Pie is great," I defended. I've had a pie vice for a lot of years. "So, Bella, where did you learn to throw like that?"

"My Dad. I've always loved the game, as does my father. We used to go to a Seahawks game at least once a season. I haven't been in a few years," she smiled sadly.

"Well, you're home now, so maybe you can start going again," I said trying to cheer her up.

"What about you? That wasn't your first game," she laughed. Her eyes sparkled when she laughed.

"No, I played all through high school. Quarterback." I put my arm around her, protectively as a bunch of kids came running past us. "Careful!" I scolded them, dropping my arm when they were gone.

"Well, Edward, I promised my help setting up the pies. Is there any flavor you're partial to?" She said playfully.

Bella placed her hands into her back pockets. I'm not sure if she realized that in doing so, she basically put her breasts on display for me. Shit! Didn't I just tell Em that I wasn't interested?

"Umm, cherry is my favorite. I like strawberry-rhubarb, too." I was trying not to drool. Fuck, I needed a drink. "How long before it starts?"

"I think about an hour. I'll try to find a cherry one for you. See you later, Edward." She finally removed her hands from her pockets and gave me a little wave as she walked towards the house.

"You alright, son?" My father put his arm across my shoulders. His eyes followed my gaze which was on Bella's retreating form.

"Yes. Fine." I turned my head to look at him only to find him smirking at me. "What?"

He smiled, nodding his head. "Nothing, son. Nothing at all. Come on, let's get a beer."

We walked to the bar that was set up on the patio. Dad's friend Sam was working it.

I decided that I shouldn't drink before the contest. Emmett had been declared the winner. I don't know how he didn't puke that shit back up. I was pretty sure that drinking beforehand would guarantee that I would.

Jasper and I got talking about the new security measures he had installed at the high school over the summer. He had cameras put in the parking lot, as well as the halls.

"We haven't had any major trouble, but with all the shit you hear on the news, you just never know. At least we can keep an eye on what's going on now." He said.

"It's always better to be proactive, Jasper. You may want to have them installed in the gymnasium, as well. What system are you using?" I had dealt with a number of systems and thought I might be able to offer some guidance.

We discussed the surveillance system until Rose announced the pie eating contest.

Bella, Alice and my Mom were setting the pies down on the tables. As I got closer, Bella caught my eye and pointed at a particular pie. I quickly made my way to it.

"I can't guarantee what you'll get after this one, but, it's cherry," she said quietly.

"Thanks, Bella." I smiled. I really didn't think she would actually find one for me. It was thoughtful. It made me feel the same way the stupid coffee filters did.

I ended up losing. Not that I thought I would win, but I could've eaten more than three. The second pie slowed me down after I realized it was strawberry-rhubarb.

I glanced up to look at Bella, but she was talking to Alice.

I went into the house to clean up after the contest was over. I changed into jeans and brought a sweatshirt with me. The sun was going down and the temperature would be falling. We had a fire pit with chairs around it as well as portable heaters scattered around.

The guys and I grabbed a table and pulled a couple of the heaters over. Emmett had a deck of cards and was trying to build a house. That started the soon to be infamous 'House of Cards Competition, 2010'. Yeah, it was dumb, but it was pretty fucking funny, too.

We sat there for two hours, drinking beer and trying to outdo each other. Between us sabotaging each other's houses and the girls walking by and bumping the table, it's a miracle anybody actually built anything substantial.

One of the guests by the fire pit had brought a guitar. When he started playing, we gave up and went over to listen.

I watched Bella walk to the picnic tables where she met up with Tanya. I could tell by Tanya's face that it wasn't going to be pretty. I started to go over when Emmett stopped me. We stood and listened as best we could from where we were. I didn't hear everything, but it was clear that Bella was handling Tanya just fine on her own. It was plain to see that some kind of disagreement was taking place, but Bella had the upper hand. She left Tanya standing there gaping and pissed as a wet hen. That shit was hot. I'd never seen anyone put Tanya in her place so easily. Bella's eyes were blazing and fuck if that didn't turn me on. If I was a different person, I might've dragged her out to my mother's garden shed to show her just how much.

"Holy shit," Emmett whispered as we watched Bella walk away.

"Yeah," I breathed.

Bella joined Alice and they were sitting on the ground just talking quietly. Alice had put a jacket on, asking Bella if she had brought one. She had her arms around herself, trying to warm up. I snatched up my sweatshirt and offered it to her. She was surprised by the gesture and thanked me, putting it on. Now, I've never been one to like it when a girl wore my clothes. In fact, when Lauren did it, it pissed me off. So, imagine my surprise at the reaction I had seeing Bella in my sweatshirt. _I am so fucked._

After most of the guests left, I walked through the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. I noticed a pie on the counter with a note attached to it. 'For Edward'. _No fucking way. _I moved some shit around in the fridge and put it in the back.

As I stripped and crawled into bed, I wondered why Bella was being so nice. She had to be the one that left the pie. Did she have an ulterior motive? I didn't believe that. I read people very well. It's a job requirement. Lauren being the exception. Bella was just a genuinely nice person. She was confident and intelligent. And beautiful. And she totally fucked up whatever Tanya had going on. Yeah. I was fucked, remember?

All in all, today ended up being one of the better one's I'd had in a long time. I was just happy with enjoying my family and friends and the beautiful day it had been.

BPOV

You know that scene in a movie, or in a book, where all the action around the character fades away and time slows down, all because of someone they see? I had never heard of that happening to anyone in real life. That's fairytale kind of shit, right? Yeah, well, it happened to me.

I had arrived at the Cullen's and looked for Alice. Finding her in the midst of a crowd, I weaved my way through to her.

"Bella! You made it! I'm so glad." Alice grabbed me into a hug. "We're just watching the guys play football," she pointed to the guys running around in front of us.

That's when it happened. Oh my. Damn, I'd never seen someone look so…appealing. No, that's not the right word. Edward was all sweaty and his skin was flushed with exertion. His muscles rippled as he pulled his arm back to throw the football. The sun made his coppery hair glow. Fucking hot. Yeah, that's much better.

I was snapped out of my daze when the football rolled to a stop in front of my feet. I picked up the football and threw it back to him. He looked surprised, I just waved at him and smiled. I turned to see Alice jump into Jasper's arms, kissing him, then hopping back down so he could rejoin the game.

"That was sweet, Alice. How long have you two been seeing each other?"

"About six months. It was love at first sight. More than that, actually, it was like our souls recognized each other," she said dreamily.

If anyone else would have said that to me, I would have laughed. Just seeing the look in her eyes, though, I knew what she told me was the gospel truth. I was more than a little envious.

If you would have asked me six months into my relationship with James, I would have told you it was fantastic. Even after we were married, it was good. For a while. I don't really remember when things changed, probably because it was a gradual process.

He had more meetings after hours. He would make off handed, derogatory remarks He wasn't distant exactly, more like disinterested. We didn't have sex very often, not that it was all that great anyway. I mean, I didn't have a lot to compare it to, but it was nothing that I would brag about.

I know that the nasty remarks that he would say to me occasionally was just his way of dealing with whatever his problem was. Yes, it was hurtful and whenever I felt especially vulnerable, those comments would plague me. For the most part, though, my self esteem came through intact. Trust was the issue. I didn't know how I could open up again to someone enough for anything meaningful. I didn't want to think about it right now. What's that line? Tomorrow is another day. Yeah. I'll think about it tomorrow.

Alice asked me to help set up for the pie eating contest. I looked at the sign up sheet to see how many we were going to need. Holy crap. Twenty-five people signed up. I noticed that Edward was on the list.

I watched the hot dog eating contest with Alice. Edward came over to me as Emmett shoved an entire wiener in his mouth, while it was still full of the previous one. He agreed with me that it was gross.

I asked him about the pie eating contest. Apparently, Edward really likes pie. I asked him what kind he liked, somewhat surprised that his favorites were mine as well. Edward asked me about my mad football throwing skills. I felt a little melancholy talking about the football games my dad and I used to go to. I was not at all surprised to find out he played in high school. It showed, even in a pick up game at a picnic.

I excused myself to help set up the pies. When I started unwrapping them, I found a few cherry ones, and two strawberry-rhubarb. There were plenty of pies. I think that everyone who showed up brought one, well, except me. I didn't know about it.

Impulse hit again. I wrote 'For Edward' on a sticky note and put it on a cherry pie, pushing it towards the back of the counter.

While carrying the pies to the table, I motioned to Edward where I had placed a cherry pie. I didn't tell him that his other favorite was next in line. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. I believe he was pleasantly surprised.

The rest of the day passed with food, drink and good conversation. I don't remember enjoying myself so much in a really long time. I found all of the Cullens warm and welcoming. Rose and I got along really well and I knew that working with Jasper would be great.

Alice linked her arm through mine and we pranced around the table where the guys seemed to be all too completely involved in making houses out of cards. We randomly bumped an arm or the table watching the cards tumble and the men grumble. I noticed that I was getting glared at by that Tanya woman again. What the fuck is her problem?

We decided not to push our luck and went to sit down near the fire pit. Alice jumped back up before her butt even hit the ground. She ran into the house and was back out just as quick with a blanket and a jacket.

"Hop up, Isabella," she said as she shook out the blanket. I did and she spread it out on the ground.

"I'll be right back, Alice. I'm going to get a drink." I walked over to the picnic tables and shook my head. Tanya was standing there with her arms crossed and her hip jutting out to the side.

"You do know that you are not his type, right?" she asked sneering at me.

"Excuse me? Who are you talking about?" Who was this crazy bitch?

"Edward," she sneered. _Ah. She sees me as some kind of threat._

I'd had enough of this bitch.

"Look, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but you need to back the fuck off. _If_ Edward was interested in me, I assure you that I would be more than enough for him. Unlike you and your fake tits and your nasty looking dyed hair, which by the way I saw him react to _you_, is not his type, either!" I grabbed a bottle of water and waked away leaving her mouth hanging open.

I made my way back to the blanket where Alice and I just talked about nothing in particular. She noticed that I had my arms wrapped around me. I hadn't planned on being here this late, I told her, so I did not have a jacket. The next thing I knew, Edward was handing me a sweatshirt. I didn't even know he was nearby. I hesitated for a moment, but put it on, thanking him. As I pulled it over my head, I couldn't help but breathe in the scent of it. I didn't think it was cologne, but couldn't place it. Whatever it was, it was intoxicating.

I stayed for another hour or so, listening to the guitar player and talking quietly with Alice. Jasper had joined us, sitting behind Alice, his legs around her, leaning back on his hands. Carlisle and Esme sat on the other side of me, while Emmett, Rose and Edward were on the other side of Alice and Jasper. It was…nice.

I got home and parked my car in the garage. Walking to the elevator, I heard a noise. I stopped, listening for another sound. Hearing it again, I deciphered it was a whine or a cry. I followed the sound over to a motorcycle. Sitting next to the front wheel was a puppy. He was a dark reddish brown with white on his face. I scooped it up and brought it with me to the security guard's office.

"Do you know if this little guy belongs to someone here?" I asked, holding the puppy for him to see.

"Sorry, the only dog owner here has a big one. I can call animal control to come pick it up." He said, already reaching for the phone.

"No, that's okay. I think I'll try to find his home. Thanks. Goodnight."

I got into my apartment and found an old blanket for the puppy. There was some left over cooked ground beef in the fridge. I put it in a bowl and got another with water and gave it to him.

I took a picture of him and made up a flyer. 'Did you lose me?' it said below his picture. I printed up a few to tack up tomorrow before I left for Forks.

The pup had settled down to sleep. Thinking that it was a good idea, I put on my pajamas and got in bed.

Thinking over the day, I couldn't help but think of Edward. The vision of him playing football? It was almost erotic. I wondered if the scent on the sweatshirt was him? It was his shirt, wasn't it? Yes, it most likely was. Oh my. Fucking hell, I didn't want to think about him, but there it was.

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	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you for reading! **

**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight!**

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CH 6

BPOV

I woke up to a warm body lying next to me. The little guy jumped up to sleep with me sometime during the night.

"Hey, you. What are you doing?" I said, holding him up to see his face. He licked me.

I placed him on the floor and got up to look for damage. I was pleasantly surprised to find nothing amiss. No messes, nothing chewed.

"Good Boy!" I told him, scratching his head. Now that I got a good look at him, he looked like a Boxer. I put a pair of sleep pants on and the sweatshirt I had worn the night before. Just because it was right there. And still smelled delicious. I then took the pup outside.

I was nervous about it, not having a leash. I hoped he didn't run off. As it was, he did his business and walked right back to me.

"Huh. Alright then, come on." he followed me to the elevator and then down the hall to my apartment.

I showered and dressed quickly, thinking that I'd better stop somewhere and buy a few things since I was going to take care of him until his owners claimed him. I found another blanket for my car and we left. Along the way I posted a few of the flyers.

I stopped at a superstore, posting another flyer before buying some food, a bowl, a collar and a leash. I gave him some food right away, figuring he'd be hungry and we took off for Forks.

I spent the day catching up with my parents. We talked about the Cullens' party and the Cullens themselves. Dad did remember Emmett. 'Yep, he's a good officer'. Was all Charlie said about him.

Mom had a bunch of questions about the Cullens. What did their house look like? What kind of cars did they drive? Yada yada…she really isn't a vain person. She just wasn't used to the lavish lifestyle that the Cullens seemed to have. Plus, she's part of the gossip circle here in Forks. The thing is, the Cullen's they weren't like that. Yes, it was obvious they had money, but they didn't flaunt it or think they were better than everyone else.

"Bella, if no one claims that dog, you should keep him. Single woman, living alone. Having a dog around would be good. Just train him up a bit and you'd be all set," my dad suggested.

"I may just do that, Dad." I smiled warmly at my father. He was always thinking of my safety. Even more so because of him being a cop. I had self defense training before leaving for college, and was well supplied with pepper spray to this day. I even had a Louisville Slugger. It was in my umbrella stand next to my apartment door.

Mom and I made baked potatoes and salad to go with the steaks dad was going to grill. We had a nice dinner and a good time visiting. I took the dog out before saying goodbye and headed for home. Alice texted me before I left the town limits.

**B-please come over tomorrow? It will just be family sitting around playing games and relaxing. Call me?-A**

"Hi Bella. So, will you?" _Hello to you, too, Alice._

I told her that I wouldn't be able to stay long. School started Tuesday and I wanted to be well rested. I told her about the dog, which seemed to excite her. She said that I should bring him, assuring me that no one would mind. She told me around twelve or one would be fine, and I told her goodnight.

After walking the dog, I opened a beer and settled in to go over my lesson plans for the coming week. I wanted my class to be challenging, but fun as well. I was really looking forward to the coming school year.

I changed into my pajamas and threw some popcorn in the microwave. I found a cable station that was running 24 hours of Seinfeld. Just as the microwave beeped, the dog started barking at the door.

I looked out the peep hole. Not seeing anything, I opened the door. Of course, he ran out the door and shot down the hall. Shit. I took half a second before I decided to run after him. I was only wearing boy shorts and a cami. I figured the odds that I'd run into anyone were slim.

So, of course, I catch up to the dog just as the elevator doors open. _fucking perfect._

So there I am, bent over picking up the dog, when I hear a choking sound. I looked over my shoulder to see Edward. Wide eyed and slightly smiling. He stood there long enough for the doors to close. When they reopened, he seemed to have gained some composure. We exchanged 'heys' as I clutched the dog to my chest. I should have waited for him to walk ahead of me, but thought of it too late. My ass was hanging out of my already too short shorts.

Mortified, I mumbled a 'goodnight, Edward' before closing my door and collapsing against it.

"Thanks a lot, you little shit," I said as I patted the dog's head.

EPOV

_Holy shit!_ All I was trying to do was go home. The elevator doors opened to Bella bent over, her succulent ass introducing itself to me. I know I stood there staring. I couldn't help it. I saw visions of kissing and biting it. Squeezing it. Smacking it.

The elevator doors closed, snapping me out of my stupor. I collected myself, hitting the button to reopen the doors. I think I said 'hi' to her. She was standing there holding a dog. I decided to not say anything. I knew she was embarrassed, so I didn't want her to feel any more uncomfortable. She scurried down the hall and into her apartment muttering 'goodnight' to me.

Fucking hell! I know, now without a doubt, that girl was sent here to torment me. I grabbed the bottle of Patron Platinum and poured myself a shot. I was given the bottle of tequila by a client whom I helped out of a sticky situation. I doubted that it would help me out of _my_ situation, though.

I sat at the kitchen table with my bottle trying to decipher what it was I was feeling. More importantly, why.

I wasn't looking to get involved with anyone in the foreseeable future. I was a little angry at her for making me feel like this. For stirring up these feelings that, quite honestly, I've never felt so intensely.

Bella was just…well…every time I was around her, something about her intrigued me. She was nice and thoughtful, intelligent, funny, confident. And hot as fucking hell. Yeah, let's not forget that.

I poured another shot before putting the bottle away. Maybe Em was right. Maybe I just needed to get laid. I decided to shelve the Bella shit for the time being. I shut the lights off and headed to my bedroom.

I showered and hopped into bed. Flipping through the channels, I found a Seinfeld marathon. That shit was funny. George said something stupid, and it reminded me of Em from earlier in the day.

He and I were in the kitchen as the guests were leaving. Today had been the last day of the party, and, as in the past, ended at six.

"So, Edward. What do you think of Bella?" I thought he was messing around until I looked at him. He wasn't fucking with me, he was serious.

"What the fuck, Em? What are you talking about?" _Huh?_ I looked at him like he was crazy.

"You know what I'm fucking talking about. I've seen your face the past couple of days when you were around her." He leaned back on the counter, arms crossed over his chest.

"What the fuck ever, Emmett. Why don't you tell me?" I was getting pissed now.

"Okay, I will. You hung on every word she said, her every move. You looked at her, like, almost with reverence. It's the way Mom and Dad look at each other, the way Rosie looks at me. You need to admit that you like her and see where this thing goes, or find some willing girl at a bar and fuck this shit out of your system. I told you, you don't get to decide when people come into your life. You gotta roll with the punches, dude." He smacked the countertop as if to accentuate the end of his lecture.

"Then, again, you could just decide to ignore the whole thing and let the possibility of real happiness, and a great girl, slip through your fingers." He slapped me on the back and walked out.

I groaned as I looked at the clock. Eight-thirty. I immediately recalled dreaming about Bella's ass. In my dream, I had done all the things, and more, that I had thought about when I saw her from the elevator. I had to take matters into my own hands, so I took my second shower in twelve hours. This one was much more enjoyable. After I took care of business, I threw my pajama pants back on and went out to the kitchen.

I made some coffee and threw a load of clothes in the washer while it brewed. I did a few mundane chores and pushed the old sofa over to the wall, making some room for the furniture that would be coming tomorrow. I'll have to get Em to help me move it out of here.

I looked towards the window and was thankful for the last few days' weather. The rain was back and I didn't mind one bit. Spending so much time in the desert heat, the climate in Washington was a welcome change.

I was going to eat something, but remembered I hadn't been to the grocery store yet. I yanked a pair of jeans out of the drawer and put them on, searching the closet for a shirt. I chose a t-shirt and a flannel to go over it. After I put my boots on, I made sure I had my phone and hit the road.

The corner market was only open until noon today, being Labor Day. I ordered a breakfast sandwich from the deli and grabbed a few non-perishables to hold me over until I could get some groceries.

I bought some chips, dip and beer to take with me, we were having a game day today. We're playing cards, board games and who knows what else at Mom and Dad's later. I put the bags in my car and headed over.

Arriving at my parents, I saw Em's jeep and a huge pick up truck. I assumed it belonged to Jasper. I walked through the front door, announcing myself.

"Hello! Where is everyone?" I asked walking to the kitchen. Mom, Dad, Em and Jasper were sitting around the table. "Hey," I said to the group, before kissing my mother's cheek.

"What'cha got there, Eddie?" Emmett was grabbing at the bag I was holding. I knocked his hand away.

"You'll crush the chips, you ass." I slapped the back of his head.

"What the hell?" He asked, rubbing his head.

"Don't call me Eddie." I said as I heard a dog bark. I looked around the wondering where it came from. The next thing I heard was high-pitched squealing.

My sister walked into the kitchen carrying a dog, Bella and Rose following close behind, talking.

"…Yeah, I found him next to a motorcycle. I couldn't let him go to the pound, so I made up flyers and put a few up yesterday and a couple on my way here today."

"You found it where?" I asked. Not that it mattered, but I was the only one at our building that had a bike.

Bella looked at me, a slight blush tingeing her cheeks, before looking away again.

"Um, in the parking garage next to a motorcycle." She wouldn't meet my eyes. Maybe she is still embarrassed from last night. I guess I'll have to try to get her to relax.

"It must have been mine. I'm the only one who has a bike." I smiled. "Are you going to keep it?" I asked. I figured if I talked to her more, she'd feel more relaxed around me. Not to mention, I really liked talking to her.

"I'm thinking about it. Yeah, I probably will," she smiled.

"Alice, did you get the games out?" Dad asked.

"Yep, we're all set. I think we should play 'Uno' first." Alice grinned. "We play dirty," she told Bella.

"Don't sit next to Emmett," I whispered to her. She looked at me for an explanation. "Trust me," was all I said as I guided her to the table.

As it happened, everyone scrambled for a chair leaving only two open that were side by side. Alice and Emmett flanked the empty seats. I pulled out the chair next to Alice, allowing Bella to sit there.

"Okay, someone explain what we are about to play," Bella looked around the table, waiting for an answer.

"You've played Uno before, yes?" Dad asked her. Bella nodded. "Okay, all the draw cards are doubled and can be added to person by person until a player doesn't have a draw card." A few of us snickered.

"For example," Mom added, "If four people in a row play draw two's, and you don't have one, you have to pick up, sixteen cards." Bella's eyes widened. "It's the same with the draw fours."

I bent my head slightly, "We use two decks, if not we'd run out of cards." Bella just nodded. Being so close, I could smell the subtle scent that was wafting off her. It was a little fruity and flowery at the same time. _perfect_.

The cards were dealt and the game began. We all had a handful of cards at one time or another. Bella was a little overwhelmed when she got hit two times in a row, but took it all in stride. We all laughed and joked around with each other. Bella fit right in with us. Even though she lost in a big way, she was gracious about it.

Before we started the next game, Bella wanted to take the dog out. I offered to go with her. I wanted to thank her for the pie.

We walked out the back door and into the yard. I was trying to push the memory of last night from my mind so I could talk to her.

"I wanted to thank you for the pie. That was you, wasn't it?" I asked nervously.

"Yes, it was. You're welcome." Bella was smiling brightly.

I wanted to ask why she did it, but was feeling a little awkward about it.

"So, are you ready for school to start?" I asked her instead as we walked along the tree line on the side of the house.

"Yes, more than ready. I'm really looking forward to it. How about you? How long are you home for?"

"I go back in about three weeks. I'll be back for the wedding, though." I wanted to tell her more about my work, but I knew it was better she didn't know. At least for now. "So, what did you do yesterday?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I visited with my parents. It was nothing special. We got caught up and had an early dinner. It was nice." Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you have any siblings?" I was trying to get to know her, but she wasn't very forthcoming with her answers.

"No. Just me. Let's get back inside." It was starting to rain again. "Can you find me an old towel? Or just some paper towel? I don't want to let him inside all wet."

I found an old towel for her and held the dog while she wiped him down. We joined the rest of my family for another game.

Jasper and Dad played a game of chess, while Bella, myself, Rose, Em, Alice and Mom played Clue. Alice won. She said she 'just knew' who did it. Whatever.

We played Scrabble next, pairing up. Bella and my Mom won. Big surprise there. Emmett and I never stood a chance.

Bella left after that. She told us she wanted to get a good night's sleep since school started the following day.

I grabbed a book and a chair in the corner. I wasn't actually reading. I tried, but my thoughts kept returning to Bella. I had watched her most of the day, just taking in her mannerisms and facial expressions.

She had a quiet way about her. She wasn't shy, she was just reserved. She laughed and spoke and was involved with everything going on, she just didn't dominate anything. Bella never offered anything about herself, either. I supposed that it was because of her ex.

Did she miss him? Was she upset over the break up? I had to think the answer was yes. That is the normal reaction to a break up.

Emmett broke me out of my daze. "Edward, Rose wants you to get your fitting in before you leave, okay?" I wouldn't be back until a few days before the wedding.

"Sure, Em. No problem," I said, not really paying attention.

"What's up Ed?" My brother knew me pretty well and saw how distracted I was.

"Nothing." I ran my hand through my hair. "I can't stop thinking about her." I sighed.

"Bella?" he asked with arched brows.

"Yeah." I admitted. I told him about the run in at the elevator with her last night.

"Shit. So you're lusting for her, eh?" he chuckled.

"Well, yes. But not just that. I'm trying to figure her out. I can't read he very well. And I want to. I have this…need to know her. But then, there is this little voice that keeps telling me to back off and just let it go."

"I already told you my opinion about this. Go with your gut, Edward. Trust yourself. And stop putting so much pressure on yourself, just be her friend. Don't avoid her, just sit back and see where it goes."

"How's work going? Any big cases you're working on?" I asked, deflecting the direction of the conversation.

"We've got a lead on the drugs that have been coming into town. We haven't had much of a drug problem around here until this year. Someone new is on the scene and we haven't been able to nail him down yet." Emmett explained.

"Be careful out there, brother." I told him. Usually, if there are drugs, there are guns.

"Always am, bro." He clapped me on the back. "You up for some poker? Dad and Jazz are in."

"Sure." I got up and headed to the table.

"In here, boys," Dad yelled. "Mom's got sandwiches."

That's how the rest of the evening went. Food, beer, poker and cigars. Good times.

I left around eleven. Everyone but me had to go back to work tomorrow. I got home and paused outside Bella's door. I decided right there, outside her door, that I wouldn't fight being friends with her. I didn't think it would be fair to her or anyone else to try for more than that. My work kept me away too much. I went inside and went to bed.

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Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Thank you Kari!**

***I still don't own Twilight! (Stephanie Meyers does)**

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CH 7

BPOV

Game day at the Cullen's was fun I felt like I had been friends with them for years, not days. It was strange, but nice. Comforting.

I left around six so I would have time to mentally prepare for the following day. I took the dog for a walk and then settled in for the night. I had no messages meaning no one had called about the pup. I took a hot bath and went to bed early.

My morning started at five-thirty. I wanted to be at school by six forty-five, class started at seven-thirty. I made sure the dog went outside and spread some paper on the floor just in case. I was supposed to have lunch with Alice today, but I probably should come home for the dog.

My first three hours I had Advanced English 12. It was nice that none of those classes were filled to capacity. All the kids seemed great. There was a couple of cocky boys in third hour, though.

Fourth hour was a free period, with lunch following. I texted Alice about lunch at the beginning of fourth hour.

**Alice-I think I should run home to let the dog out. Come with or postpone?-Bella**

She decided to call me back rather than text.

"Hello?"

"I'm on my way to you now, I'll be there in about ten minutes. See you." She hung up before I could speak.

I busied myself until Alice showed up. She was right on time.

"Bella, if you like, give me your key and I'll go take the puppy out for you. I am going over there anyway to see Edward. His furniture is being delivered today."

"If you're sure you don't mind. That would be great." I opened my desk drawer to get my keys.

"Do you want me to bring back lunch or do you want the salad bar in the cafeteria? Jazz says it's pretty good." Alice said.

"The salad bar is fine with me. Here is my key. His leash is by the door." I said handing her the key.

"I'll be back before lunch." Alice flitted out of the room.

Sure enough, Alice was back in thirty-five minutes. We went to the cafeteria and got our salads and met Jasper in my classroom. We chatted about the upcoming wedding and laughed about the weekend we spent together. I told her about James and his notebook, trying not to get too detailed.

"Damn, Bella. What a fucking loser," Jasper said.

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry," Alice cried. I just shrugged it off. This wasn't the time or the place to really get into it.

"Alice, I need my key." I said as we cleaned up from lunch.

"Oh. I left it with Edward," she said sheepishly.

"Why?" fuck! Why in the hell would she do that?

"Just in case the puppy needed to go out before you get home. He isn't going anywhere today and he said he didn't mind." Alice sure had that innocent act down. Too bad for her, I wasn't buying it.

"Alice! I wish you hadn't done that!" I was still mortified over the elevator incident.

"Give me your phone." she stood there with her hand held out. I handed it to her and she dialed a number.

"Edward, it's me," she turned the speaker on. "Will you please tell Bella that you offered to watch her dog? You're on speaker."

"Uh, Yeah, it's no problem." I heard Edward say.

"Edward, I should be home before three-thirty." I told him as I stared Alice down.

"Okay," was all he said. Alice said goodbye, hit a few buttons and handed me my phone.

"His number is in your phone now." she smiled evilly. "See you later, Bella." _bitch._

I looked at Jasper for help with Alice's exasperating behavior. He just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

The bell rang so I couldn't go after her. I would have to deal with her later.

The next two hours were English 12. My last hour was study hall. I made sure I was ready for the next day and went home.

When I exited the elevator, I heard noise from down the hall. As I approached our doors, I saw Edward's was open and also where the ruckus was coming from. Not seeing anyone from the doorway, I knocked and walked in.

"Hello? Edward?" I called out looking around. There was furniture still wrapped sitting in the living room. I heard the dog bark and followed to where I thought it came from.

I stood in the doorway of Edward's bedroom watching as he directed the delivery men. He was holding the puppy and hadn't heard me.

"Hey." I said from the doorway. I didn't feel right going into his bedroom. He spun around at the sound of my voice. He had on a white undershirt and jeans, no shoes or socks. Holy crap! He looked sexy as hell.

"Hi Bella. Hold on a minute." He turned to the delivery men. "Is everything off the truck?" They nodded. "I'll take it from here, then."

I moved out of the way and followed after the men to the living room. Edward handed me the dog and picked up his wallet off the kitchen counter.

"Thanks a lot, guys," he told them, handing them some cash. He closed the door and turned to me. "How was school? Good day?" he asked me.

"Yes, pretty good. Um, thanks for watching the dog. Why do you have him, anyway?"

"I heard him whining so I just brought him over with me," he said matter-of-factly.

"Oh. I'm sorry he bothered you."

"He didn't bother me. He's just a pup and was lonely." Edward moved closer to rub the dog's head, "Weren't you boy?" He moved his attention to me. "I just had him out a little while ago, so he should be good for a while. Here's your key." he reached into his pocket producing my key.

"Thanks again. We'll get out of your hair," I said, glancing around at the furniture.

"You're not a bother, either, Bella. Um, if you're not busy, could you help me with this?" He pointed to the piled up furniture. He wants _me_ to stick around? Edward must have sensed my hesitation.

"I'm sorry. You've probably got plans, so just forget …" I interrupted him.

"Let me get changed and I'll be right back." I held the dog towards him. "Did you bring food over for him?"

"Yeah, I grabbed his food bowl and got him some water. It's in the kitchen." He thumbed over his shoulder towards the room.

"Okay. See you in a few minutes." I walked past him into the hall and to my door.

I freshened up a little, taking my hair out of the elastic band and brushing it out. I washed my face and stripped out of my clothes. I felt a little giddy. _Shit, Bella, get a hold of yourself. You're just helping a neighbor. _

Yeah. Right. I looked at myself in the mirror and asked my reflection what I thought I was doing. I didn't have an answer for myself.

I found a pair of stretchy capri's and a t-shirt. I checked my messages before grabbing a bottle of water and an apple and going back over to Edward's.

I knocked and opened the door just peeking in. I opened the door and walked in, taking in the sight before me.

Edward was on the floor playing with the puppy. It was licking him, and wriggling around. I laughed and Edward's head popped up.

"Hey," he said, looking a little embarrassed.

"No problem, Cullen. Your secret is safe with me." I told him. I stood with my hands on my hips. "What do you want to start with?"

He scooted across the floor to where the furniture sat. "Let's start unwrapping everything first."

I sat across from him and started ripping the plastic wrap off of a table. Edward picked up a lamp, moving it to the other side of the living room. He stopped at his stereo and put it a CD. The Foo Fighters poured out of the speakers.

"So, if you've lived here for a while, why are you just now getting it furnished?" I asked chuckling. He looked at me for a moment before speaking.

"Well, I got divorced a couple of months ago. When she left, she took most everything with her." He said with a trace of animosity.

"Shit, I'm sorry. It's really none of my business, I shouldn't have asked." Damn, I really put my foot in my mouth that time.

"It's alright, Bella. I'm not really all that upset about it. I'm still pissed about how it happened and maybe why, but I'm not missing her or anything." Looking into his eyes, I could see he was being honest.

"Alice told me you'd recently gone through something similar to me, but I had no idea…" I rambled, still feeling like I'd overstepped my bounds.

"Something similar, huh? What happened to you?" He asked.

"It's complicated." I said shaking my head slightly. I looked up at him.

He looked me in the eyes and said, "I think I can keep up." I was lost for a moment in his gaze.

"If I tell you, you tell me?" I wasn't spilling my guts unless I got something back. He nodded.

"Full version or abbreviated?" I asked him.

"What the hell, might as well get it all over with at once, don't you think?" He asked.

EPOV

Bella sat across from me leaning back on her hands with her legs stretched out in front of her. She sat up, taking a drink from her water. I was fascinated watching her throat move as she swallowed the water. Her skin looked smooth and pale and…_shit_. I was pulled from my reverie as she spoke.

"We met during our last year of college and were married shortly after graduation. I found out a few months ago that he, uh, pretty much cheated on me from the beginning."

"Holy shit. How long?" What kind of ass would cheat on this woman?

"Three years. There was a small gap in the dates around the time we were married."

"I don't understand. A gap in the dates?" She knew he was making dates?

"Three months or so ago, I found a notebook that James always carried with him. I thought it was for his contacts at work. He is in advertising." She took in a deep breath and blew it out before speaking again. "Turns out it **was** for his contacts. Contacts he made with his dick." She chuckled sadly. "The notebook listed hundreds of women with dates and times and where he met them." Bella's eyes were on her lap. I had no idea how to respond to what she just told me.

As I sat there absorbing it all, trying to come up with something to say, she spoke.

"Please tell me that not every guy does that." Bella had tears in her eyes and sounded so broken. Before I could stop myself, I had her in my arms. She felt nice and warm. Her skin was soft under my fingers and I found her scent intoxicating.

"Bella, I have never known any guy that has done that. Sure, you hear about some guys keeping score or having some kind of competition. It's all immature bullshit that , NO, most guys do not participate in." I let her go and sat back down, a little closer this time. "I'm really sorry that he did that to you." Bella's face was beet red and she wouldn't look me in the eye. I guess it was my turn.

"My brother told me he thought Lauren was cheating on me. I didn't necessarily not believe him, I just figured there had to be a mistake or misunderstanding." I paused, shaking my head. "We really should have never gotten married."

I told her the rest of my story, taking the blame that rested squarely on my shoulders.

"I was never here. Work kept me away. Maybe if I had been here? I don't know." I said running a hand through my hair.

"No Edward. It sounds to me like she was fully aware of what she was getting into. Granted, she may not have been cut out for that kind of life, but that is on her. Not you." Bella looked angry. "Didn't she have any friends? Family? Hell, she could have gotten a dog." Bella picked up the pup as she said this.

"Well good riddance and all that." I said.

"I agree." Bella smiled at me. "Let's get your furniture unpacked." She started unwrapping another piece when the intercom buzzed.

"That's probably Em." I told her as I walked to the intercom.

"Cullen", I responded.

"Police! Open up!" Bella laughed at hearing the ass that is my brother. I buzzed him up and left the door ajar.

"He's going to help me move the old sofa out." I told Bella.

"We'd better clear a path, then. Do you have a garbage bag?" I walked to the kitchen to get one. I shook it open for her. Bella took it and immediately bent at the waist to pick up the plastic wrapping.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke my gaze away from Bella's ass. I slowly turned my head towards the door. Emmett was silently laughing at me.

"Hi Emmett, thanks for coming over." Shit, this was getting ridiculous.

"Hi Bella, what's going on?" Emmett was highly amused.

"Gee, Em. What's it look like?" Bella said sarcastically. "Edward, just move this table and you guys can get the sofa out." She was standing in front of said table.

I had to stop myself from patting her ass when I asked her to move. Fuck! Where the hell did that come from? Shit, I think Emmett saw me, too.

We picked up the sofa and got it into the elevator. Thankfully, who ever designed this building made sure the elevators were big enough for this kind of thing. As soon as the doors closed, he laid into me.

"Dude! Were you gonna slap Bella's ass? Damn!" he hollered. His eyes were bugging out of his head.

"Emmett, I didn't even realize what I was doing! It was completely involuntary." I sputtered.

Just thinking about how delectable she looked in her tight little t-shirt and those pants that clung to her ass and thighs, I couldn't stifle the groan that escaped me. Shit.

"How'd she end up helping you anyway?" The doors opened and we picked up the sofa and headed outside.

"She came over to get her dog and I asked her to help." Yeah, _I_ was the one responsible for the torture.

"Well, good luck with that." He laughed. "Me and Rosie are cake tasting tonight. I'm going to buzz up and tell Belly goodbye." He pushed the buzzer.

"Yes?" Bella's voice floated through the intercom.

"Bye Belly. See you around." Emmett could barely contain his laughter.

"Umm…Bye Emmy." Damn, she's quick. I made my way back upstairs.

"Sorry about Em. You should feel honored, I guess. He only nick names family and a few close friends." I laughed.

"I don't mind. My parents, Dad mostly, are the only people that do that. Theirs is Bells." She made a goofy face.

"Well, isn't 'Bella' a nick name?" I teased.

Bella snorted, and I'll be damned if it wasn't the cutest thing.

"Yes, I guess it is." she admitted. "Okay, Edward. Where does this stuff go?"

We moved the furniture around to where I wanted it. The heaviest pieces had already been moved by the delivery men. They set up the two dressers that were part of the bedroom set. One was tall, the other was long with a mirror on the back of it.

We moved the two bedside tables and plugged the lamps in. There were two end tables, a coffee table, a floor lamp, two table lamps, the sofa and a chair in the living room.

When it was all set up, I brought the TV back out from the bedroom. I would have to get one for the bedroom. Maybe a nice flat screen.

"I thought I heard my phone ring. I need to go see if they left a message." Bella left both of our doors open, so the dog followed her over and then followed her back a minute later.

"It was just a telemarketer. I can't believe no one has called about this puppy. I put a couple flyers up at school today, too."

"Do you have anymore? I can go out tomorrow and put a few more up." I offered.

"You wouldn't mind? That would be great. I can print a few more up. How many do you want?" Bella was practically glowing. It didn't take much to make her happy.

"Print me ten, that should be plenty." I probably wouldn't need that many, but you never know.

"I'm going to take him out, I'll be right back." Bella smiled and went out the door.

Bella is beautiful, but when she smiles, she is breathtaking. Wow.

I went to the drawer in the kitchen that should hold the take out menus. At least, it used to. I haven't opened the drawer since I've been home. Nope, not there. I started checking all the others. The bitch actually took those? She probably would've taken the ice cube trays if the fridge didn't already make ice.

"What are you looking for?" I didn't hear Bella come back in.

"The menu for the Chinese delivery place a few blocks away. Apparently Lauren needed it in California." Fucking bitch.

"Wow, what a bitch. I think I have one. Let me go check." I followed her back to her place. She shuffled through some papers by her laptop. There were pictures scrolling across the screen.

"Are these your parents?" I could see the resemblance from both of them.

"Yep. That's Charlie and Renee. I found it. Here." She handed me the menu. "Where is the dog?" She was looking around for him.

"Probably at my place. You're coming back anyway." She looked at me funny.

I waved the menu at her. "I'm going to feed you, Bella. What kind of guy do you think I am? Make you work and just send you on your way? Move it, woman." I gently pushed her towards the door.

I gave Bella the remote while I grabbed a couple of beers. I handed her a bottle and sat at the opposite end of the couch from her. She stopped on one of the 'Die Hard' movies and looked to me for my approval. I just shrugged my shoulders and said that is was fine.

When the food arrived, I grabbed a couple of plates and brought it all to the coffee table. I was scooping the food onto the plates and Bella was looking for something on the table.

"What are you looking for," I asked

"A fork."

"What? Here." I handed her a set of chopsticks. She just stared at me. "You don't know how to use them, do you?" I chuckled.

"No." she said indignantly.

I proceeded to show her. She kind of got the hang of it, but if I wanted her to eat before she starved, I was going to have to feed her. Which I was not particularly opposed to. But for proprieties sake, I got her a fork.

"Thank you," she smiled.

We finished eating, giving a bite or two to the pup. Bella helped me clean up and she made her way towards the door.

"Thanks for dinner and the company, Edward. It was fun."

"Thank you for helping and for the company. I agree, it was fun. I'll see you later."

"Goodnight. Oh, thanks for looking after the dog." Bella's eyes sparkled.

"Not a problem, Bella. Goodnight." I waited until she shut her door before closing mine. Fuck me. I think I'm in trouble.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thank you to anyone who is reading and/or reviewing! Thanks always to Kari-couldn't have done this without you!**

**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight**

* * *

CH 8

BPOV

When I got back into my apartment, I checked my machine again. There was one hang up. I looked at the caller id and the last number was unavailable.

I ran through my nightly routine, getting ready for bed. As I brushed my hair, a picture of Edward appeared in my mind. When he held me after my mini-breakdown, I thought I would melt. He felt so strong and warm. He always smelled so damn good, too.

I closed my eyes, remembering how his arms and back flexed when he lifted his end of the sofa. His tight t-shirt didn't hide much. I had to wipe at my mouth as I watched. I could have swore I was drooling.

I've seen a lot of good looking guys before. Edward was in a class by himself. He was utterly beautiful. And when he smiled, he became impossibly even more beautiful. The thing about him that made him even more irresistible, _as if!, _was that he was a nice guy.

Edward impressed me with his honesty and humility. I wasn't sure why I was allowing myself to think of him like this. I thought I was being ridiculous. Shouldn't my heart and mind, not to mention my body, be taking some time off? Isn't there a prerequisite waiting period I should be adhering to?

Besides that, why would he even want me? Is he even remotely interested? Why would he be? I know that I'm intelligent and attractive. In an average sort of way. Nothing really stood out in my appearance or personality.

Edward was exciting. He had an interesting job that took him overseas. And he was gorgeous. Nothing average about that. His whole family was above average, in both personality and looks. I would be a smudge on an otherwise perfect picture.

I guess I will suffer in silence. Keep my lust a secret between me and my bedroom walls. I put it out of my mind and finished readying for bed.

The school day went by quickly. I had ran home during lunch to let the dog out, so I didn't have to rush home after school. I stopped at the store to get a few things I needed for dinner tonight. Angela was coming over. I haven't seen her since my wedding.

I fumbled with my bags, trying to unlock my door. The whole time I purposely ignored the door across from mine. Successfully not dropping anything, I made my way into the kitchen. I deposited the bags on the counter and plucked the grocery store flowers out. Finding and filling a vase, I placed the flowers on the table.

"You need to go out boy?" I playfully asked the dog. If I kept him much longer, I was going to have to give him a name. That reminded me to check my messages. Nada.

I took the dog out, completely ignoring the other door. Going _and_ coming. Totally and completely ignored it.

I had two hours before Ang would be over, so I started the enchiladas and straightened the apartment. Sometimes I surprised myself at how messy I could be.

I changed into something more comfortable and finished dinner. Shortly after, the intercom buzzed.

"Hello?" I answered my intercom like a phone.

"Belly!" Not who I expected.

"Emmett?" Why would he buzz me?

"The one and only." That's for sure.

"What can I help you with?" I was baffled.

"I need a couple of flyers for the dog you found." Huh? Okay. I buzzed him in and opened the door.

When Emmett got to the door, I had just hit the print button.

"Apparently you were supposed to give Eddie some flyers? I'm here to collect." Oh shit! I had completely forgot.

"Crap! Sorry, I forgot. Where is he?" Meaning: why isn't _he_ here to get them.

"He said he had something to take care of and asked if I'd come get them. I'll put one up at the station, too." He added.

"Thanks. That would be great. I haven't had one call on him yet."

"Damn Bella, what is that smell?" Emmett followed his nose to the kitchen.

"Enchiladas. I have a friend coming over for dinner."

"I love those. Rosie doesn't really cook a lot and I don't think that Mom has ever made them." He was pouting.

"Well, I could always have you and Rose over and make you some." I tried to placate him.

"Really? Wow, that would be awesome. When?" How old is he again? Ten?

"How about sometime before Edward leaves? Everyone can come over." _Hmm, good idea Bella._

"That sounds great. I'll take a look at my schedule and get back to you."

I handed him a sticky note with my e-mail address. "Here, just send me an e-mail."

"Okay. I've gotta run. Thanks. See you, Belly." I chuckled and shook my head as he left. He sure is a character. He looks intimidating as hell, seems like an intelligent guy and can be goofy as a teenager. Rose is a lucky woman.

Not ten minutes later, I heard the buzzer again. This time, it was who I expected. I told her how to get to me.

"Take the elevator up to five and I'm in five o-one."

I waited with my door open and head hanging out in the hall. Angela made her way to me quickly.

"Oh! I'm so happy to see you!" We hugged.

"Come in." I said.

We talked for a bit while setting the table. I opened the bottle of wine Angela brought and poured it into my new wine glasses.

We got caught up over dinner. Her husband Ben, ran his own business. He was a locksmith. We talked about our parents and she told me whatever gossip she had heard about people we went to school with.

We cleaned up the dishes and I put the leftovers away. Bringing our wine to sit on the sofa, she finally asked me the question I had been dreading.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened with James?" I sighed looking into my wine for the meaning of life.

I told her the story. Every stinking, humiliating detail. I cried, she cried. I think I may have had too much wine. That or everything was just coming to a head and the combination of alcohol and Angela allowed the wall to fall.

"Bella, you know you're not to blame, right? James had a problem. Maybe his mommy didn't hold him enough as a baby. Maybe he's just a selfish, egotistical prick." She paused. "I know this is delicate, but, have you been tested?" she asked nervously.

"Yes, I've actually gone once a month since I found out. So far, nothing." Angela let out a sigh of relief.

"Ang, I just feel so used and abused. I don't know how I could have been so stupid. First, just getting together with him and marrying him. Second, why didn't I know? I was never blindly, blissfully in love with him. Well, I guess I thought I was at the time, but the bloom was off the rose a few months after the wedding." I was rambling, so I stopped, looking at my friend for guidance.

"I think that he's a skilled player. Unfortunately, he played you in a big way." As an afterthought she added, "He must have cared about you, otherwise, you'd just be a name in the book." Angela looked at me apologetically. "That in no way excuses him, but that is all I can come up with."

"You know, it's funny. Those things don't bother me as much as they should. The biggest issue for me is trust. How do I trust someone with my heart again?"

"You're going to have to go with your gut and take a chance. There aren't any certainties," she said.

We continued talking about everything and nothing until ten. Angela said she had to get going. I grabbed the leash and the dog and walked her out.

I was on my way back into the building when I heard laughing. I turned to look behind me and saw Edward with a tall blond woman. Their arms were linked together and it just looked so intimate.

I immediately felt as if I'd been slapped. I was confused by my reaction and hurried into the building, hoping to have the elevator by myself. No such luck.

"Hi, Bella." His velvety smooth voice assaulted me. I cringed into the corner.

"Hi Edward." I said as politely as I could.

"Bella, this is Kate. Kate, this is my neighbor, Bella."

"Hello," was all I could muster.

"Hi, Bella. Nice to meet you." Kate smiled at me.

Thankfully, the doors opened right after she spoke. One of them dropped something, so I scooted around them and practically ran to my door.

I was having a hard time catching my breath, I was angry, I was shaking. What the hell? I was so overcome with the reaction I had, I didn't know what to do.

I shut the lights off and went straight to the bathroom. I stripped and turned the shower on as hot as I could stand it.

As soon as the water hit me, I broke down. I cried over my stupidity and humiliation because of James. I cried because I was lonely, and had been for a long time. I cried because I realized that I was warring with myself over my attraction to Edward. And I cried because I was jealous of a stupid tall blond woman. I cried until the water ran cold.

I got out and wrapped a towel around my body. I was angry with myself. I didn't want to feel sorry for myself anymore. I wanted happiness and I think I deserve it. I need to put this shit away and move the fuck on.

I found my I-pod and scrolled to one of my favorite Breaking Ben songs.

_I will not bow, I will not break_

_I will shut the world away_

_I will not fall, I will not fade_

_I will take your breath away_

_And I'll survive… _

About three things I was absolutely positive. One, James is a fucking asshole and I am done crying over what he did to me. Two, I was really attracted to Edward and liked him much more than I'd like to admit. And three, I had no idea what the fuck I was going to do about it.

I was so totally screwed.

EPOV

I woke up in a really good mood. Even though I had only saw Bella for a short time last night, I was still reveling in the afterglow of Tuesday.

Bella was great company. We got along really well and I felt comfortable around her, like I've known her for years. She was so cute trying to use her chopsticks. A little more practice and she'll have it. The girl just makes me happy. Like, smile on my face happy.

I had plans to have brunch with my parents. I met them at a diner close to their office. They wanted to make sure that I was okay. We hadn't had much time to talk about Lauren or the divorce since I'd been home.

"I am really fine with all of it. I'm glad it's over. I'm glad she's gone. I guess the only damage I have is that I feel like I won't ever have a relationship again. My work is a big obstacle. Trust is another. I just don't see how it would work," I confessed.

"Edward, I understand what you're saying, but don't give up. Not every woman will react the way Lauren did to your job." Dad was always encouraging. "I honestly think it still would've happened even if you were around." I looked up at him in surprise.

"It is just a feeling I had. From the very beginning, I didn't trust her." I looked at him for an explanation. "Everyone thought she was pregnant, so, I encouraged you to make a go of it. I am sorry for that, by the way." My father hung his head.

"Dad, I don't hold you responsible for any of it." I shook my head, picking at the table cloth.

"Honey," Mom ran her hand along my forearm, "you don't have any control over when people come into your life. The only power you hold is how you react to that person. Don't close yourself off. You never know when love will walk into your life."

"Wow. Emmett told me the same thing." I was astounded. Momentarily.

"That's because I told him that when he was agonizing over Rose last year." Mom was smiling. "Oh, I almost forgot. Kate wanted you to call her when you got home. Something about retrieving a box from the apartment."

"I'll call her when we're done here." I hadn't spoken to Kate since before I had been home the last time.

We ate while I told them about getting all my furniture unpacked and set up. I told them how Bella helped me. I spoke about her dog. And more about Bella. Mom interrupted my little Bella-fest.

"It sounds like you two are getting along nicely." Mom smirked. My mother smirked at me. WTF?

"She is such a lovely girl. Smart, funny and she seems to have a handle on Emmett." Dad thought he'd add his fifty cents.

I nodded at them both. I could see what they were doing. "Yeah. Bella's great." The waiter brought the bill, I snatched it up before either of my parents could.

"It was great seeing you. I gotta run!" I kissed my Mom and clapped my Dad's shoulder on my way out, effectively derailing the train they were driving.

I called Kate when I got to the car. We agreed to meet after she got off work at nine.

Emmett was my next call. I had to run to Seattle for a consult on a job.

"Em, I never got those flyers from Bella. Could you run by and get them and put a few up? You'll need to wait until about three-thirty or so." I asked.

"It'll be closer to five-thirty, but yeah, I can do it."

"Thanks, Em. I'll call you when I get back."

I was needed for a consultation regarding a kidnapping in Germany. If I had been working, it would have been my case. They wanted my input as well as a recommendation as to who the negotiator should be.

By the time I got back to Port Angeles, it was almost time to meet Kate.

I drove to the bar and went in to wait. She had always been critical of Lauren. Calling her out on her bullshit. I had always liked her. She didn't play games and always was straight with you.

I didn't have to wait long for her to show up. We ordered drinks and talked a bit. She apologized for her sister's behavior and asked if I was alright. I told her the same thing I've told everyone else. Glad it's over, glad she's gone. Stick a fucking fork in it.

Kate followed me to my apartment. Apparently, Lauren let her store the box here and told Kate that she had left it for her.

She parked on the street, and I met her on the sidewalk. Kate stumbled a little on the curb, so I grabbed a hold of her arm. I don't know why we thought it was so funny, but we laughed like hyenas.

I looked up in time to see Bella go through the front door of the building. I hurried Kate along, wanting to catch up with her.

We got to the elevator just as the doors started to close. I stuck my hand out to stop them. I said hello to Bella and she looked like she flinched when I spoke to her. She had moved to the corner of the elevator and was damn near climbing the wall.

I introduced her and Kate. Bella's voice sounded strained. The door opened and I was going to stop Bella when Kate dropped her keys. The next thing I knew, Bella was gone. I heard her door close and I was totally bewildered. What the fuck just happened?

I paused briefly wanting to check on Bella, but decided against it. I opened the door for Kate, glancing at Bella's door before closing mine.

I knew the box wasn't in my room, so we headed to the guest bedroom. I hadn't looked in the closet except for a cursory glance when I first got back. The room itself was empty.

"Here it is." Kate called out.

I looked as she opened it. "What the hell is that?" It was some kind of sword or dagger.

"It is a replica of an ancient fighting sword that Garrett has had his eye on. I bought it for his birthday and hid it here. His birthday is next week," she explained.

I walked Kate to the elevator; she apologized again for Lauren. We promised to keep in touch and I walked back to my apartment. I glanced at Bella's door, still worried about how she had acted. I decided there was nothing I could do tonight and went inside.

I flipped through the channels not really finding anything but a vampire movie. I popped some popcorn and grabbed a bottle of water. I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke up from a dream about sparkling vampires and giant wolves. Yeah. What the fuck ever.

I got up and went to bed.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: My thanks to all who are reading my story! Thank you Kari!**

**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight**

* * *

CH 9

BPOV

I got to school a little earlier today, determined to keep my focus where it needed to be. That was anywhere but Edward fucking Cullen.

I don't know why I had such a strong reaction seeing him with that woman. I certainly had no claim on him. Not even close. So what the hell was my problem?

Edward was allowed to have a girlfriend. Or a one nighter. Hell, maybe she was just a fuck buddy. I need a distraction.

"Morning, Bella." I turned to see Jasper standing in the doorway to my classroom.

"Good Morning, Vice-Principal. What can I do for you?" I asked happily. I always felt at ease around Jasper.

"Alice wanted to know if you were free Friday evening. She's planning on calling you, but has a bunch of appointments today. I'm guessing she wanted me to just give you a heads up so you didn't make other plans." Jasper shrugged his shoulders.

"No, I don't have plans. Thanks for the warning, though," I laughed. The bell rang and kids started trickling in.

"See you later, Ms. Swan," Jasper said with a wave.

As I walked back over to my desk, someone brushed against me. I swear I felt someone's hand sweep lightly across my rear. I spun around hearing a mumbled 'excuse me, Ms. Swan'. The boy was Michael Newton and was with two other boys, Peter and Eric. All three walked quietly to their seats. I had an uneasy feeling that it hadn't been an accident.

That couldn't be true, though. I shrugged it off and addressed the class.

My day progressed without incident. I had lunch in the teacher's lounge, talking with and getting to know a few of the other teachers. The rest of my afternoon passed quickly.

I got home and decided that, after still not getting any calls on the dog, I would take him to see a vet. I also started trying names on him. I found a veterinarian that was just a few miles away, and took him in.

I mentally ran down names. Spot? No. Rover? No. Spike? No, I hated that guy on 'Angel'. Killer? Now I was getting ridiculous. I passed a bar named 'Jake's Place'. Hmm. Jake? I kind of liked the sound of that.

"Hey, are you a Jake?" I'll be damned if the dog didn't give me a little bark in response. "Alright. Jake it is." I scratched him behind the ears.

The vet gave Jake all his necessary shots. I asked if anyone had been looking for a lost puppy. No, they hadn't heard of anyone. Well, shit. I guess I've got myself a dog.

I called and talked to my Mom while I ate dinner. I was surfing the net looking at stuff I could buy for Jake. I decided to hold off buying anything just in case someone claimed him. Mom and I had a good laugh when I described some of the clothing you could buy for your dog.

I told my mother goodnight, grabbed my jacket and Jake's leash and took him out for a walk.

We were coming back from the little park that was across from our building when I heard a voice I immediately recognized. It came from the parking garage and was mingled in with another voice. A female voice.

I stood stock still in my little hiding spot. I didn't normally eavesdrop on people, but I couldn't help myself. It was mostly dark now and the shadows helped to keep me unseen. Their voices carried a little, echoing off the concrete walls of the garage.

"Ed-waard, come on," the whiny girl's voice pleaded.

"Fine, let's do this." *mumbling* "Come over here and hold this." Huh?

"Like this?" The whiny girl sounded _so_ innocent.

"No, move down a little. Yeah," *grunt* "just like that." *scuffle* "ahh…shit!"

"Oh! Edward," cried the whiny girl.

"It's okay. You're gonna have to move over here or get on you knees for this to work." _WTF?_

I couldn't listen this this anymore. I needed to get out of here, hopefully without being noticed. I was red faced at hearing Edward with that girl. I was angry and jealous.

Why did I care? For fuck's sake, we hadn't even flirted. Did I like him? Yes. Had I done anything about it? No. So that's the question. Do I do something, at least let him know I'm interested or let it go? Then again, two different girls in two days? Sounds familiar. I remembered what Edward said the other day about guys and their conquests. I now remember he never mentioned himself specifically. I guess that was my answer. I didn't need another lothario in my life.

By the time I got back to my apartment, I had decided that Edward was a bad idea.

I changed into some lounge pants and a tank and grabbed the TV remote. My phone rang, it was Alice. I remembered Jasper telling me about her calling me later.

"Hey, Alice. What's up?" I asked.

"Rose and I want to know if you'd like to go out with us tomorrow night?" I could hear her vibrating through the phone.

"Where are you going?" I asked with some trepidation.

"There's a club called New Moon. We sometimes go there for our girls night. We try to go out at least once a month."

I thought about it for a moment. I really liked Rose and Alice and I needed a distraction from Edward.

"Yes, I would love to go. So, it will just be us?" She already said it was just the girls, but, I had to ask.

"Yep. Girls only. I can be at your place by seven-thirty."

"Great, I'll see you tomorrow night. Bye, Alice"

"Bye, Bella."

I ran to my room to find an outfit. I pulled open my closet doors hoping an something would jump out at me. Since nothing did, I started to piece a few things together.

I had a great pair of black heels that I wanted to wear. The jeans I paid way too much for and a blue, square necked, capped sleeved blouse would be perfect. I didn't want anything too outlandish. I wanted to look nice, but not like I was advertising the goods.

As I picked jewelry out, I realized that I was looking forward to going out. It had been a while since I'd been out. Even longer since I'd been out as a single person. All of a sudden, I couldn't wait until tomorrow night.

EPOV

I couldn't get the notion out of my head that Bella's odd behavior last night had something to do with me. What, I had no idea.

As I stood at the counter drinking my coffee, my phone rang.

"Cullen." I answered.

"Hey, want to shoot some pool tomorrow night?" My brother asked.

"Yeah, sounds good. What time?"

"How's eight sound? Meet me at Jake's. Jaspers' coming, too."

"Cool. See you tomorrow, Em."

It was a relatively nice day, so I grabbed my gear and headed down to my bike. I rode with no specific destination in mind and ended up at First Beach in La Push.

I parked the bike and headed down to the beach. The waves had washed up a bunch of debris on the sand. I kicked at some of the smaller pieces of wood as I walked to a group of rocks.

I sat down on a large rock and leaned back against another, staring out at the water. My mind swirled with thoughts of Bella. She intrigued me. Her intelligence and sense of humor was very attractive. I could actually have a stimulating conversation with her. The rest of her was pretty fucking stimulating, as well. I found myself fighting to not touch her. I wanted to run my fingers through her hair, feel the softness of her skin.

I told my parents that my job was a big obstacle in getting involved with someone. It was the epitome of a long distance relationship. I had issues with the whole trust aspect, too. It is a lot to ask another person to wait weeks, if not months, for me. Not to mention, she had her own trust issues. She probably didn't even want to get involved with anyone.

For some reason, though, I thought Bella might be okay with it. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Fuck, I don't know. The only thing I _did_ know was I couldn't go for a few minutes without thinking about her.

I went back home and took a nap. When I woke up feeling hungry, I decided it was time to go the grocery store. I pocketed my phone and wallet and headed out.

After spending way too much fucking money, I pulled into the parking garage.

Cindy saw me pull in and made her way over to me. She was the sixteen year old grand-daughter of a couple who lived on the second floor. Her parents had been killed when she was younger and was taken in by her grandparents.

"Hi, Cindy. How've you been?"

"Great, Edward. You know I turned sixteen a couple of months ago?" I didn't know, but nodded anyway. "Well, Gramps bought me a car and I finally saved enough money to buy a better radio. Could you, um, install it for me?" She asked sweetly.

"Sure, Cindy. How about Saturday?"

"Um, well…I am supposed to drive me and my friends to Seattle tomorrow and kinda wanted it by then. I know it's real short notice, but I didn't even know you were here until I saw you drive off on your motorcycle earlier." She looked at me with her blue eyes all wide and puppy dog sad. Shit.

"Please, Edward." I stood looking at her, debating. She picked up the box with the new radio in it.

"Ed-waard, come on," she pleaded.

"Fine. Let's do this." I opened her car door. Someone had tried taking the radio out. It was hanging half out of the hole, wires still attached. "Come over here and hold this."

"Like this?" Damn, I hoped this girl wasn't that dumb.

"No, move down a little." How did she expect me to work on the wires if she was in the way? "Yeah, just like that." I maneuvered myself around, my back on the floor board, looking up at the wires. "Shit!" I caught my knuckle on something and ripped it open.

Cindy saw the blood. "Oh, Edward!"

"It's okay. You're gonna have to move over here or get on your knees for this to work." I indicated where I wanted her to be.

"Just hold the radio out of my way while I unhook the wires."

After I unhooked the old radio, the new one went in quickly. I put the old radio in the box that the new one came in.

"All set. Turn the car on, let's give it a listen." Shinedown blasted out of the speakers.

"Thank you!" Cindy yelled, throwing herself at me. I hugged her back. She was a good kid.

"So, why don't you help me bring my groceries up?" I suggested.

"Sure. No problem, Edward."

I handed her a couple of the lighter bags and grabbed the rest. After getting the bags into the kitchen, she told me if I ever needed anything, to ask. She thanked me again and left.

I put my food away and started some water to boil. I didn't cook a lot, but pasta was pretty easy. I ordered a movie off pay-per-view and finished cooking my dinner. I briefly wondered if Bella had eaten yet, but figured she probably had since it was almost eight.

The movie wasn't all that great so called my sister.

"Hey Ali," I said when she answered.

"Hi, Edward. What'cha doing?"

"Nothing much, just wanted to talk to my baby sister." I kind of wanted to talk about Bella. I wasn't sure how well Alice knew her, but I needed another perspective on the situation.

"Talk about what?" Alice asked suspiciously.

"Well, hypothetically speaking, if you wanted to gain someone's trust, how would you go about it?" Shit. I regretted it as soon as I said it. I sounded like a douche.

"Hmm. You need to make yourself available to this person. Don't say anything about her that you don't want to get back to her. Little things are important. Do something for her just because. Hypothetically speaking, of course," she giggled. "Now, those things aren't going to make Bella trust you, per se, but they'll show you care and are thinking about her." Well, fuck me.

"Alice, I didn't say anything about Bella." I tried to be convincing.

"Yeah, okay." She wasn't buying it. "She is going out with me and Rose tomorrow night. We're going to New Moon," Alice offered. "I'll do a little reconnaissance for you."

"Ali, you don't have to do that." I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. But, then again…

"Whatever, Edward. Was there anything else?"

"Nope. Have fun tomorrow," I told her.

"You, too. Bye, brother."

"Thanks, Alice. Bye."

I thought about it for all of two seconds before I went over and knocked on Bella's door. It was only nine o'clock, so I assumed she would still be up. I quickly figured out what I wanted to say. I heard her locks clicking and she opened the door.

"Edward. What can I do for you?" she said coolly. That threw me. I wasn't expecting an attitude.

"Umm, I just wanted to see how you were. Last night, you seemed upset. I guess I just wanted to check on you." I stammered. Shit, she had me flustered.

"I'm perfectly fine, Edward. Thank you for asking." She waited for a moment. "Was there anything else?" Well, fuck me. Was she pissed at _me_?

"No, I guess not. Uh, have a good night." Her attitude and words just verbally bitch slapped me.

"Okay. Goodnight." She shut and locked the door.

I slinked back to my apartment and wondered what the fuck I had done.

I needed a distraction so I hooked up my X-Box and played video games for a few hours before going to bed.

* * *

Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Thank you Kari-you're the best!**

**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight**

* * *

CH 10

BPOV

When I got to school Friday morning, I found a single white rose lying on my desk.

No note, just the flower. I looked around my classroom, as if it would tell me where it came from.

I went to the teacher's lounge looking for a vase, or something that would suffice. I found a glass soda bottle and put some water in it. I noticed a sign up sheet on the bulletin board asking for volunteers to chaperone the prom that was to be held the first weekend in October. I figured 'why not' and signed up.

My day was going great until lunch. I was sitting at a table eating a sandwich and reading a book when someone approached me.

"I see you signed up to chaperone the dance." I looked up from the pot belly that was in my face. Mr. Banner, gym teacher. You'd think he'd be in shape.

"Yes, I did. Why?"

"I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me. I signed up, too." Aww, crap.

"Um, thank you for asking, but I have a strict rule about NOT dating colleagues." That I just made up.

"Oh. Uh, okay." He was clearly disappointed, but really? I didn't even know him, other than his name and position here at school.

Shit, did _he_ leave the rose? I hope not, but, so far he seems a likely candidate.

The rest of the afternoon flew by. I got home and took Jake for a walk. On my way in, I saw a girl putting up a note by the mailboxes. 'Odd Jobs' was printed at the top.

I got an idea.

"Hi. I'm Bella Swan. I live in five-o-one. What kind of jobs are you looking for?"

"Hi, Bella. I'm Cindy. I live in two-o-four. Um, anything really. I just got a car and I need gas money."

"How do you feel about dog walking? It wouldn't be too often, but for example, I'm going out tonight and will probably be late. It would be great if you could come by and take him out."

"That would be awesome. I love dogs. Gran is allergic, so we can't have one. What time?"

I told her that I'd like to meet her parents. She explained how she came to live here with her grandparents as we walked to her door. I introduced myself to them and then had her come to my place. I showed her where Jake's food was and where I kept his leash and towel. I gave her a key and told her what time I thought she should come by.

"Thanks. Bella. You can count on me." Cindy seemed like a nice girl.

I jumped in the shower, scrubbed and shaved everywhere, and got out. I put my wet hair up in rollers and made something to eat. As I put the dishes in the dishwasher, the intercom buzzed.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella, it's Alice." Hmm. She's early, I thought.

"Come on up." I cracked the door for her.

"Is everything alright? You're kind of early." I noticed she had a garment bag and what looked like a make-up bag with her.

"My last appointment canceled, so I though I would just come over," she said matter-of-factly. "That's okay, isn't it?" she asked, realizing that it might not be.

"Yeah, I don't mind." I shrugged my shoulders.

I told her about the rose and Banner. We had a good laugh over it.

"Hey, can I do your make-up?" I was apprehensive.

"I don't usually wear much, Alice. I think I can handle it."

"I won't make you look bad, Bella." She had those sad puppy eyes. I hate those. I think she saw defeat.

"What are you going to wear?" I rolled my eyes and motioned for her to follow me.

"Ooh. That will be great. That color blue looks great on you, too."

"Do you think so?" Alice nodded. "Thanks."

"Let's get started." Alice rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Crap! What have I gotten myself into?

Alice painted my nails. Toes, too. She dried the top of my head that had the rollers in it and did something else with the rest. When she grabbed the make-up bag, I got nervous.

"Not too much," I reminded her. She admonished me with a look and shook her head.

After what seemed like hours, but was in reality only maybe one in total, she turned me towards the mirror.

"Done," was all she said. I had to admit, I looked good.

"Nice. Thank you," I said, admiring my hair. She had the sides pulled up with the back hanging loosely with soft waves in it. My make-up was more than I usually wore, but still looked natural and really nice.

The intercom buzzed again. Alice looked at her watch. "That's probably Rose. Do you mind?" She pointed towards the door.

"By all means." I waved my hand at the door. She ran over to it.

"Hello?" she sang.

"Buzz me in, bitch." I was a bit taken aback. Alice just laughed. I hadn't heard Rose speak like that before.

A couple of minutes later, Rose blew in to my apartment. She had also, apparently, brought what she would need to get ready for tonight.

"Holy shit, I am ready for tonight!" she exclaimed, falling into the overstuffed chair.

"Rough day, Rose?" Alice asked her.

"Fuck yes. Oh, hey, Bella." Rose smiled at me. "I swear. Some of the parents I have to deal with…" she trailed off. "Bella, do you have any wine?"

"I do. Come on." I turned and went to the kitchen. White or red?"

Everyone said 'red' at the same time. I searched the drawer for the corkscrew that should have been in there.

"Damn, I can't find the corkscrew."

"I'll get one." Alice pranced out the door, presumably to Edward's. She was back in a couple of minutes.

She opened the wine and set the corkscrew on the counter.

"Alice, do me a favor and take that back. Like, right now." Alice gave me a funny look and picked it up. She took it back and returned quickly.

"Okay, spill, Bella." I gave her an innocent look. "You aren't fooling me. What's going on with you and my brother?" She crossed her arms over her stomach, fingers strumming her elbow.

"Nothing is going on with your brother. Leave it at that." I hoped she'd drop it.

"Unh-uh. What's up?" Rose chimed in.

I rolled my eyes and debated at what I should tell them. I didn't want either of them to be mad at me, after all, he was family.

"Just tell us." Alice's foot was now tapping.

"Fine." I huffed. We grabbed our wine and sat on the sofa. I told them about two nights ago with the tall blond, and last night with the woman in the parking garage.

Alice looked at me for a few minutes before she said anything. She was making me nervous.

"That sounds strange. Edward isn't like that. And, I'm pretty sure there is a reasonable explanation." I rolled my eyes.

"I've heard that before," I scoffed.

"No, Bella. I know what you've been through and Edward is nothing like that." Alice hesitated for a moment. "I also know that he is interested in someone, _not_ one of the ones you described."

"And how would you know that?" I was incredulous. Alice looked at Rose; she shrugged her shoulders.

"Because he's kindofinterestedinyou," she spit out.

"Huh? What was that?" She spoke so fast, I didn't catch any of it.

"She said that Edward is interested in you." Rose sat back and watched me absorb her words.

"What?" I was dumbfounded. "I don't believe you," I said shaking my head.

"It's true." Alice said, picking at her nails.

"I don't even know what to say to that." I drank down the wine left in my glass.

The girls and I stared at each other. Rose broke the silence.

"Bella, do you like Edward?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I do." I admitted. "It scares me."

"Edward won't hurt you. He is extremely loyal and honest. You would have nothing like that to worry about with him." Rose seemed very sincere.

"Can we let this go for now? Let's just go have fun tonight. I need time to think about this," I pleaded.

"Sure, Bella." Alice gave me a small smile.

The girls grabbed their clothes and we all went into my bedroom to change. I turned on my I-pod to help set the mood for the night. When we were dressed, we stood in front of my dresser mirror, admiring ourselves.

"Damn, we look hot!" Rose yelled. Rose had on a flirty red dress and looked fabulous.

"Let's roll, chicas." Alice declared. She was decked out in skinny jeans and a yellow tunic. She always looked cute.

EPOV

I was really looking forward to getting together with Em and Jasper later. After the mind fuck Bella gave me last night, I was raging. I wanted to get fucked up and have some fun. I did a whole bunch of nothing until it was time to get ready. Which really was nothing. I wasn't going on a date or looking for one, so I put on a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Good enough.

I got to Jake's a little early and found a table near the pool tables. I texted Em to let him know I was here. An overly friendly waitress brought me a beer. I was just about to finish it off when the guys showed up.

We got a pool table and ordered some beer and Jaeger shots. Jasper and Emmett were playing first. I would play the winner. As I took a seat nearby, my phone chirped. I had a text from Alice.

**E- who were you with the past two nights?-A**

What the hell? Who was I with? I wasn't _with_ anyone. The guys heard me. Shit, I must have said that out loud.

"With what? What are you mumbling about, Eddie?" I gave Emmett a dirty look. He knew I hated it when he called me that, especially in public.

"Alice wants to know who I was with the last two nights," I said as I called our sister.

"Alice, what in the hell are you talking about?" I was ready for another beer. Before she could answer, I heard a commotion through the phone.

"What the fuck was that, Ali?" That got Jasper and Em's attention and they were at my side listening. I put the speaker on.

"Rose told a joke and Bella fell off her stool." Alice laughed. "So, brother dear, who were you with?"

I thought about it for a second. Oh, yeah. I remembered.

"Well, two nights ago, Kate came over to retrieve a box that Lauren let her keep there. It was Garret's birthday present."

"Oh. Yeah, she invited us to his party. What about last night?" she continued.

"I went grocery shopping last night. Oh, I ran into Cindy in the parking garage and installed a radio in her car." What the fuck that had to do with anything, I didn't know.

All I heard was Alice laughing her ass off. Next, I heard muffled talking and more laughing and someone yell 'oh my god!'

I looked at Jasper and Em. We all had the same look on our face. It said, What the fuck?

"Maybe we should go over there?" Emmett suggested. I held a finger up, silently asking him to hold off.

"Alice, what is going on?" I demanded. The next bit was a little hard to follow. This is what I heard:

"Bitch, back off."-Alice

"Give me that phone!"-Bella?

"Rose, hold her!"-Alice

"Hurry up, Alice!"-Rose

"Alice, don't you fucking dare!"-Bella

"Edward, apparently, Bella thought you were _with_ Kate and Cindy. She heard you in the parking garage, but didn't actually see anything!" More laughing.

"What exactly are you telling me, Alice?" I couldn't help but hope…

"Bel-la likes you. She thought you were getting it on with Kate and then in the garage with Cindy!" Rose hollered. Realization hit me. That is why she was pissed at me last night. Well, fucking hell. That explains a whole fucking lot.

"Holy shit." Em hissed, looking at me.

"They are so drunk," Jasper said.

"Emmy, I miss you. Can you come over here?" Rose cried.

"Me too, Jazz. Pleease?" Well fuck, I guess we're moving on. Both guys looked like they were going to race for the door.

"Um, Ali? We'll be over in a little while." I hung up.

"Dude, hold on a fucking second. What the hell should I do?"

"How fucking old are you, Edward? Bella likes you. I know you like her. We are going to go to New Moon to see our girls." Jasper nodded in agreement.

Well shit. I guess I'm going to see about a girl.

We got over to the club in just a few minutes. It took a few more to find them. All we had to look for was the throng of guys surrounding a table! A few of them moved and I caught a glimpse of Bella. Oh my…Fucking. Hell. I couldn't make my feet move.

"Hey Ed? You okay man?" Emmett asked me. He followed my line of sight and laughed. "You are in so much fucking trouble, dude."

"We've got your back, Edward," Jasper said, cuffing me on the shoulder.

She had a shirt on that showed off a lot of skin and some cleavage. It was the same color of dark blue that she wore at the picnic. It made her skin glow. Tight ass jeans and a pair of black fucking heels. Pretty much all the resolve I had flew out the fucking window. Cue the dick twitch.

I saw some guy try to put his hand on her ass and she brushed him off. I saw red. I stomped over to the table, shouldering through a couple of guys. Em and Jasper were right behind me.

I pulled a stool next to Bella and sat down. I looked at the douches that were in her immediate vicinity and shot them a look. You know the one? The one that says I can be a mean motherfucker so back the fuck off? Yeah, that one.

"Hi, Bella. Having a good time?" I asked her pleasantly. She had that 'deer in the headlights' look. I wanted her to be comfortable so I smiled the smile that always melted my mother. She nodded.

"So, I know it was supposed to be a girls night, but…I hope you don't mind that we're here," I said.

"No, Edward. I don't mind that you're here. Do you want a drink?" she asked.

"I think I'll stick with water from here on out." I wanted to make sure that at least one of us stayed sober. Although, Emmett rarely got drunk in public. Being a cop, he only got ripped if he was home and knew he wasn't going anywhere.

"So-o-o. What have you been up to?" Bella asked, blushing furiously.

"Not much," I chuckled. "I finally went to the grocery store." I scooted my stool closer to her. If we were going to talk, I needed to be closer.

She turned her body towards mine, our knees were now touching. I reached up with a finger and stroked her cheek lightly. It was completely involuntary.

"Would you like another drink? What are you drinking anyway?" I asked. She mumbled something I didn't hear. I leaned in even closer. "What?"

"A Screaming Orgasm," she sputtered.

I laughed. "Oh. Do you want another one?" I didn't think it was possible, but she turned even redder than before.

"Yes." Bella's eyes were everywhere but on me. I caught hold of her chin turning her face to mine.

"I would love to give you one." I got up and walked to the bar. Yep, that's me. Not only am I a mean motherfucker, but I'm a smooth one, too.

I thought I'd better ease up on the full court press, so when I got back with her drink, I set it in front of her and asked Emmett some stupid question about sports. I didn't even hear his answer. I was just trying to ease the tension.

"Do you mind if I taste this?" I asked Bella pointing to her drink. "I've never had one." Bella snorted and mumbled 'I highly doubt that' and pushed the drink towards me.

"Damn, that's pretty good." I confessed. "I don't think I could drink more than one, though. Too sweet," I said.

"That's why it's a girlie drink, Eddie. They can have multiple orgasms, while dudes usually only have one!" Emmett hollered. We all laughed our asses off.

"It's time for the rhyme game!" Rose yelled.

"What's that?" Bella asked.

"Someone says a word and the next person has to come up with another one that rhymes with it and so on until someone fucks up," Emmett explained.

"When you can't come up with a word, the last person who did picks the person you have to do a body shot off of," Alice continued.

The first person to screw up was Jasper, so I had him do his shot off of Alice. The next person was Bella. Rose got to choose.

"Bella, you get to take your shot off of Edward," she laughed. I just smiled.

Bella looked at me with a determined eye. "Lean back," she told me. I was sitting next to a large support post, so I scooted forward on the stool a bit and leaned back against it. Bella finished her drink and stood up. She grabbed my shirt and pulled it up, exposing my stomach.

"You ready?" she asked. All I could do was nod staring at her with wide eyes.

She proceeded to lick up my stomach from the waistband of my jeans and around my navel. After she poured the salt, she winked at me and took her shot. Then she licked the salt off. Slowly. Everyone around the table was hooting and hollering.

"Holy fucking shit," I hissed. I really didn't mean to say it out loud, but fuck! I was ready to let her keep licking.

A slow song came on. The DJ said it was 'Maybe' by the Sick Puppies. I took Bella's hand.

"Dance with me." I told her more than asked her.

I led her to an open spot and wrapped an arm around her. The hand I was holding I brought to my chest. I placed a light kiss to the side of her forehead and rested my chin there. I felt her trembling a little so I held her a little tighter. She goes from all ballsy and brave by licking my stomach to trembling in my arms. This girl was going to kill me.

Her hair smelled wonderful. She felt wonderful. Sooner than I liked, the song changed to something fast. I whispered a 'thank you' in her ear and led her back to the table, not letting go of her hand.

We all stayed there for another couple of hours. Telling jokes and just talking. I danced with Bella a couple more times. It was great.

We made plans to all hang out at my place the following day. Emmett was working, but said he was off at four and would be over then.

Bella drove her and the girls, while each of us guys had our own cars. I told Bella that I would drive her home and get her car tomorrow. We were home in a matter of minutes. I stood with her outside her door and she fumbled with her keys. I took them from her and unlocked the door.

"I had a great time tonight. Come over tomorrow after you get up and around." I touched her face and kissed her cheek.

"I did, too. Goodnight, Edward." She leaned in and kissed _my_ cheek. She plucked her keys from my hand and closed her door. Yes. It was a very good night.

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Thank you for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed or put this story (or me) on alert! As always, big thanks to xXkiwicullenXx-my guide, mentor and sounding board!**

***limey situations ahead...**

**Stephanie Meyer still owns Twilight**

* * *

CH 11

BPOV

I woke up with a slight headache and a little disoriented. I stretched and last night came back in a rush. Oh my god.

I almost killed Alice when I heard her talking to Edward. Actually, I'm really glad it got cleared up, but at the time…I was mortified.

I felt terrible about Cindy; the things I thought about her. Now that I had a face to go with what I heard, and then finding out they were only installing a radio. I am so stupid!

Part of me wanted to stay hidden under the covers. I wasn't sure I had it in me to face everyone, well, Edward, in the light of day. The whole girl misunderstanding and the orgasm conversation. Oh, let's not forget the body shot. I blushed remembering it. Damn, I could have licked the rest of him.

The other part of me wanted to embrace the fact that Edward reciprocated my feelings. Well, at least to some degree. He probably didn't feel as strongly as I did. I was okay with that, though. It had been a long time since I had butterflies in my stomach in anticipation of seeing someone.

And with that thought, I jumped out of bed. I turned some music on and got the coffee brewing. Jake wanted to go out, so I threw on some sweats and a jacket and ran him outside.

When I returned, I drank some coffee and jumped in the shower. We were supposed to just hang out today, so I put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I let my hair dry naturally and left it down.

It was noon and I wondered if it was too early to go to Edward's. I didn't want to seem too eager. He did say, though, to get up and around and come over. I decided to put on my big girl panties and stop fretting over it.

I only waited for a moment after knocking. Edward opened the door and had a beautiful smile on his face.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said happily. I blushed.

"Well, it's actually afternoon, but, good morning to you, too. Do you mind if Jake comes over?" He furrowed his brows and looked disappointed.

"Jake? Jake who?" he asked angrily.

"Oh, that's right." He didn't know that I was keeping the dog and had named him. "Jake is what I named my dog," I explained.

Edward laughed and looked relieved. "Of course. Bring him over."

I turned and opened my door and Jake came running right over. I followed him in and closed the door. I sat my phone down on the coffee table and looked around the room. I felt a little awkward until Edward spoke again.

"Bella, sit down with me." He had sat in the middle of the sofa. I sat next to him and he took my hand in his own. "I had a really nice time last night," he said.

"Me too," I told him, squeezing his hand lightly.

"This may seem forward, but I've had enough dishonestly and want to just lay it all out and be up front with you," he paused. "Um, I really like you, Bella. " His eyes were shining.

"As much as I've fought it, I really like you, too Edward." I saw no reason to hold back at this point. He smiled. "I do have a couple of questions for you, though. It's about your job." His smile faltered a bit.

"You can ask me anything, Bella." His hand smoothed over my hair.

"How long do you go away for? I mean, how would this work?" I asked.

"Well," he sat back on the sofa, so I did too. "The length of time varies. This next time is about 4 months, but it could change. I'll be home for the wedding, but I'll need to go right back," he said quietly.

"So what? We can text and call each other?" I had no idea how a long distance relationship worked as I'd never had one.

"Yes, and Skype. I know it isn't ideal, but what do you think?" he asked. His brows were furrowed so I reached up and smoothed them over with my finger.

"Well, you're right, it isn't ideal. It scares me a little, I'll be honest. But, I don't want to stop this." I waved my finger between us. Edward's smile returned.

"Me, either," he said. "So, you think you'll be able to deal with me being away?" he asked hesitantly.

"Oh, I'm sure it will be tough. I'm willing to try, though," I smiled. "I don't like the thought of you being gone, but I think can deal with it." Edward's face lit up with a smile. "I know we're both taking a chance here, but I trust you. It's almost like all of the fear I moved here with, disappears with you. Does that sound delusional?" I asked, shaking my head.

"It probably should, but it doesn't. I feel it, too. I feel like this is different. Like you are different." All of a sudden, he looked nervous.

"I want to try something. Hold still." Edward leaned towards me, eyes open. My breath caught in my throat when I figured out what he was doing. I met him the rest of the way. He put his hand on the back of my neck, holding me in place. Our lips met and moved together like they were made for each other. I felt sparks and a warmth spread over me. It was very sweet and slow. And ended too quickly. The intercom buzzed.

"Shit. I guess we'll have to pick this up again later," he chuckled and went to answer the intercom.

Jasper and Alice came in a few minutes later. She had a big pair of sunglasses on and a cup of coffee in her hand.

"God, Bella. Do you have a secret hangover remedy or something? You look great," Alice said.

"No. I've always been like this. As long as I get some sleep and drink some water, I'm fine. Besides, I really didn't drink all that much last night."

"Bella, do you want me and Jasper to go get your car, or do you want to go?" Edward asked. I had forgotten about that.

"Well, I thought I would make dinner tonight, so I should go so I can stop at the store. Does everyone like enchiladas? Emmett asked me to make them," I explained.

Edward looked a little confused so I told him about when Emmett came over to get the flyers. Both men said enchiladas sounded good, while Alice groaned.

I went to my place and got my purse and keys and we left. He pulled into the grocery store first.

"You didn't have to do this. I could've gone after we got my car."

"I know," was all he said.

We went in and grabbed a cart. I stopped at the fresh vegetable section looking for chilies. I felt Edward's hand at my waist, his fingers rubbing against my shirt.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to a head of kohlrabi.

"It's kohlrabi. My gran used to grow it. It kind of tastes like a radish," I told him.

We continued on down the aisle until a loud laugh caused us to turn and look. Tanya was at the end of the aisle flirting with some guy. She didn't appear to have seen us.

"That reminds me," Edward said, facing me. "I saw how you handled Tanya the other night. I've got to tell you that it was quite impressive. You constantly amaze me." He ran a finger down my face from my temple to my chin. His eyes were smoldering.

An old man coughed next to us, effectively disrupting the moment. We laughed and moved on. Edward and I finished gathering the items I needed, pointing out things we liked along the way.

"Eww, I can't believe you like ring pops, Bella," he teased as I picked one up.

"Oh? What about you and the over-processed, preservative filled fruit pies? At least mine is just sugar!" I poked him in the side.

"Touché, Swan," he said kissing the side of my head.

We paid for the groceries and Edward carried the bags to the car. While he loaded them in the trunk, I got in and opened may ring pop. Edward got in the driver's seat and gave me a funny look.

I held out the finger with the ring pop. "Taste?" I asked. He laughed at me and shook his head.

"I can't believe you're going to eat that," he said still laughing as he pulled out onto the road.

All the way to the bar, Edward kept stealing glances at me while I sucked on the ring pop. I could tell he was getting frustrated. His poor hair was getting a workout as he kept pulling at it. The tension in the car was thick. I knew I was pushing it, but I was thoroughly enjoying myself.

Edward pulled up next to my car and parked. "Goddamn ring pop," he muttered.

"Bella." His voice was low and raspy. I turned to look at him and his hands reached out, taking a hold of my face. He pulled me over to him and kissed me. A small noise escaped me and he groaned. I felt his tongue sweep across my lips. I gasped and he poked his tongue into my mouth. It was glorious. Our tongues were gently caressing, our lips moving like we'd been kissing each other for years.

When we needed to breath, we broke apart. He still had a hold of me and pressed his lips to my forehead. My lips were tingling as I caught my breath.

"We should probably get this stuff home." He pointed his thumb towards the grocery bags. I nodded and got out of his car.

As I unlocked my car, I froze for a moment. On my windshield, under the wiper blade was a white rose. I snatched it off and got into my car. Edward indicated to me to drive ahead of him, and we drove back to our building.

We grabbed the bags and quickly made our way up to the fifth floor. I asked Alice to come to my place to help me gather what I would need for dinner. Edward wanted me to cook at his place.

As soon as we entered my apartment, she bombarded me with questions about me and Edward. I told her what I felt would satisfy her. I kept some of the more personal details to myself. I also told her about the rose.

"Bella, you need to tell Edward. This is kind of creepy." Alice visibly shivered.

"I guess you're right. It's probably nothing, though," I said, trying to convince myself.

I put the few things I needed in the glass baking dish I used for enchiladas and we went back to Edward's.

I put the dish on the counter and emptied the grocery bag. I looked up and saw Alice staring at me. I huffed and walked out to the living room. Jasper and Edward were playing a video game.

I must have hesitated too long because Alice spoke up.

"Bella has something she needs to talk to you about," she announced. I shot her a dirty look.

Edward's head popped up. "Bella?"

"Yeah, I, uh, need to tell you something," I stammered.

"Jazz should hear it, too, Bella," Alice suggested.

I walked into the kitchen and brought out the rose. I explained about the first one, about Banner and then finding the second one.

"There was nothing else?" Edward asked with furrowed brows.

"No, just the flower."

"Jasper, I want to view your security footage from yesterday morning. Will that be okay?" Edward asked.

"I don't see why not. We should have footage of everyone that entered her classroom. We can go in Monday morning," Jasper said.

"I think I'll call over to the club and find out if they have cameras on the parking lot. I would think they do. Emmett may come in handy for this." Edward was pacing around, talking to himself. He grabbed his phone and went into his bedroom.

When he came out a few minutes later, he seemed more relaxed. He walked over to me and put his arm across my shoulders.

"Em's going to stop over at the club and check it out. Rose should be here anytime. Let's pick out some movies, or we can rent something off the TV," Edward suggested.

Rose showed up fifteen minutes after we turned on the movie. She brought some deli sandwiches. I got everyone a water bottle and we settled in to watch the rest of the movie. Edward and I sat next to each other on the sofa. Jasper was at the other end of the sofa with Alice on the floor in front of him. Rose took the chair. Jake was on the floor below Edward and I.

I must have dozed off at some point because I became aware of quiet voices and the feeling of someone stroking my hair. I was lying down on the sofa, my head on something that wasn't quite a pillow. The voices became clear as I heard Edward speak.

"I know it may be nothing, Em. I am not willing to take that risk, though." I heard him say. I also realized that it was Edward whose lap my head was on and whose fingers were twining my hair. I shifted a little and opened my eyes.

"Hi. Did you have a nice nap?" Edward asked me softly, looking down at me.

"Yes, I guess I did," I smiled. "Oh! I was going to make dinner!" I jumped up from the sofa.

"Bella. It's okay. You can make them tomorrow or something. We ordered pizza. It should be here anytime," said Edward.

"You should've woke me," I complained.

"Uh, no. I will not wake you up just so you can slave over a hot stove. Unless it's Thanksgiving or Christmas," he added with a chuckle.

EPOV

So the flower thing had me worried. If it had just been at school, it would've been one thing. But, the fact that the same person followed her to the club? Yeah, like I said, that worried me.

I needed to speak to the security office here at the building. I wanted to make sure they were on top of things and aware of what was going on.

I turned my attention to Bella. She was sitting on my sofa staring off into space.

"Bella? You okay?" I asked her.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I'm fine, I was just thinking," she said absentmindedly.

"Anything you want to share?" I asked, sitting next to her.

"I was just thinking about who could be leaving the flower. It isn't like I've met many people since I've been back." She looked up at me.

"You should make a list of the people you've met since being back," Rose suggested. I got up and grabbed a pen and pad of paper off the table.

"Alright, there would be the tenants here. The guests I met at your parents party, and most of the teachers at school. That is really it. I suppose we could get really persnickety and add the workers at the grocery store and gas station. That's it," she sighed.

"If you think of anyone else, let me know." I walked over and dropped the pad of paper on the desk in the dining room.

The intercom buzzed, probably the pizza delivery kid.

"I got it!" Emmett shouted.

"I need to take Jake out," Bella said. She had located his leash and hooked it to the dog's collar.

"I'll go with you," I told her, getting a jacket. I didn't want her going anywhere by herself right now. I also wanted a little alone time with her.

"Um, okay. Here, hold his leash, I need to get a jacket." I reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Here, just wear this." I handed her my sweatshirt jacket. She smiled softly at me.

"Thanks," she said quietly. She put the jacket on and took the leash.

We got the dog outside and I took her free hand in my own. We walked to the corner as Bella told me about some of the teachers she worked with. When we got to the corner, we turned and went back the way we came. Jake had done his business and we were ready to go back inside.

"Hold up a minute," I said, reaching my hand up around the back of her neck. I pulled Bella closer to me and spoke softly at her ear. "Let's just relax and let this flower shit go for tonight, okay?" I pulled back to see her face. She nodded her head. I looked at her for a moment and then leaned in and kissed her, letting my lips linger on hers a little longer than a chaste kiss called for. She tasted so good and her lips were so soft, it was difficult to pull away.

"We should get in there before Emmett and Alice eat all the pizza," I suggested, chuckling.

"Alice?" Bella asked. Apparently she didn't know that my darling sister had quite the appetite, especially when it comes to pizza.

"Yeah, she's kind of like a hummingbird. They expel so much energy, they have to eat a lot to replenish themselves." We both were still laughing when the elevator opened on our floor.

The rest of the evening we spent watching movies, eating junk food and drinking beer. Emmett and Alice had a habit of talking back to the characters on the TV. It was funny sometimes, but usually very annoying. All in all, it was fun. These were the things I missed when I was away.

When it came time to call it a night, Emmett and Rose stayed in my guest room, while Jasper and Alice went to Bella's. Good thing for my guests, the bed had arrived Thursday. I took Jake out for his last out of the night. When I brought him back, I knocked softly on Bella's door. She opened it, damn near taking my breath away.

She stood there dressed much the same as the other night. She had on these panties that looked like shorts and a tight, thin tank with thin straps. They were dark purple and she looked utterly delicious, all the way down to her bare feet.

"Jesus, Bella. You can't greet people at the door dressed like that," I sputtered. She arched an eyebrow at me.

"I don't greet _people_ at the door like this, Edward. I knew it was you." _huh?_

"Oh. Well, as long as no one else gets to see you dressed like that," I said a little smugly.

She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed me on the lips. "Goodnight, Edward. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight you vixen. I'm sure my dreams will be very sweet," I said, my voice had dropped an octave or two with the desire that had washed over me at the sight of her.

I made it back to my bedroom and shut the door. Holding Bella most of the evening, kissing on her and seeing her dressed the way she was had my dick hard. Listening to her tell me that she dressed like that _knowing_ I would see her, had my dick throbbing. I reached down and stroked myself through my jeans. My body shuddered.

I stripped off my clothes and turned the shower on, cranking the hot water up. Leaning my left hand against the wall, I took my cock into my right hand. My mind took over with thoughts of Bella. Her smile, her hair, her smell. *_stroke. stroke_.* I remembered kissing her in my car earlier and the feel of her tongue and lips. *_stroke, stroke_.* I let myself imagine fondling her tits and licking her perky nipples. *_stroke, stroke, stroke_.* And that fucking ring pop…

"Fuck. Bella…" I hissed. I was close to blowing my load. My last thought did me in. I pictured my head between her legs suckling on her…*_stroke, stroke_*, "ahh…shit!"

I could only hope that things progressed between us to include the things I jerked off to. I cleaned up and got out. After I dried off, I put on some pajama pants and got in bed.

I did have sweet dreams. They were all about Bella.

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	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you for reading! When you're done here, go check out xXkiwicullenXx-her stories are great! Start with It Happened One Weekend!**

***Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight**

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CH 12

EPOV

Sunday morning I woke to the smell of coffee and bacon. I was slightly confused because I was pretty sure I didn't have any bacon in the house to cook. There was a soft knock on my door.

"Yeah?" I called out, sitting up slightly to lean against the headboard.

"Are you awake?" It was Bella. How do I handle this? I don't want to rush anything or scare her off, but I really wanted her in my arms.

"Come here, Bella." I tried to ask nicely, but it came out more like a command. She walked and stood next to me. She was nervous. I watched as she picked at her fingernails. I took a hold of her wrist and pulled her to me. I caught her with my other arm. She giggled.

"Now that you've got me what are you going to do?" Bella asked me suggestively.

"That remains to be seen. Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around her. She was sitting next to me with her ass right up against my side while her upper body was in my arms lying across my chest.

"Well," she played with the couple of hairs below my throat, "since I didn't get to make dinner last night, I made breakfast this morning."

"Such a sweet girl," I muttered as I kissed her forehead. "okay, let me up now or I won't be held responsible for what happens next," I joked. But it really wasn't. She scooted away from me and stood up.

"Bella, please don't get upset with me, but…could you please put a shirt or something on?" I groaned.

She still had on what she was wearing last night with the exception of the pajama pants she put on. Her nipples were poking against the tight tank top and as much as I liked the view, I really didn't want Emmett or Jasper to see it.

She looked down at her chest and blushed a little. Bella bent over and picked up the shirt I took off last night and pulled it on. She gave me a peck on the cheek and left my room. I shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair.

When I got to the kitchen, everyone was there. Emmett was trying to teach Jake to shake with some bacon while Rose and Jasper argued with him over his technique. Alice was nursing her coffee while sitting on the counter and Bella was flipping pancakes. I snaked my arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. She handed me an empty coffee cup and pointed to the pot.

I leaned back on the counter and took in the scene before me. Damn, I missed this. I didn't necessarily want a house full of people all the time, but having my family around was great.

"Emmett, stop feeding the dog. This is ready everybody, grab your plate and sit down," Bella directed.

Bella had six plates with pancakes and bacon on each. I took mine and hers, pecking her on the cheek and walked to the dining room table. I sat her plate next to mine and sat down. Bella had refilled our coffee cups and sat them down.

Alice had the butter and syrup while Rose had a handful of silverware and napkins. We all dug in and all you could hear was chewing and moaning.

"Ohmygod, Bella, hmmf these pancakes are awesome!" Emmett said around a mouthful of food.

"They really are, Bella. These are great," I smiled. My girl can cook!

Everyone helped to clean up and went their separate ways, leaving Bella and I alone.

"So, you never told me what the footage showed from the club," Bella said.

"Well, it didn't show us anything. Because of a strategically parked Hummer, your car was blocked from the camera," I huffed. "Hopefully, the school's footage will show something."

"Hopefully," said Bella. "What do you have going on today?"

"Nothing, really. How about you?" I asked.

"I need to do some laundry. I was going to take Jake to the park if the rain holds off," she said.

"Yeah, I've got laundry, too. You want some company with Jake?" I asked. We really hadn't had any alone time since we 'became' or got together or whatever.

"Sure, why don't you come over when you're ready. If you want, I mean. Umm…" Bella stammered.

"Bella," I walked up to her putting a hand on her face and the other on her shoulder. "I want," I kissed her forehead. "I know this is new, but you don't need to be nervous with me. Do I make you nervous?" I asked.

"No. Yes, maybe a little. Well, not you exactly, but this," she waved a finger between us "does just a little. I'm just afraid, gun-shy really. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes. It makes perfect sense. But you can say anything to me. If you're scared or unsure or just nervous, let me know. I may be able to alleviate your fears," I told her.

Bella wrapped her arms around my body and rested her head against my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head. She broke a way from me, said she'd see me later and left for her apartment.

I changed into jeans and a t-shirt and did a few menial tasks. I made my bed and gathered some dirty clothes for the washer. Bella had cleaned the kitchen and ran the dish washer. I cleaned up the living room from yesterday. After I couldn't find anything else to do, I went to Bella's.

I knocked on her door and heard her yell 'come in'. I was pissed.

"Bella," I called her name out sternly. She came from the kitchen to see me standing in the living room.

"Hi Edward," she smiled. As she took in my facial expression, her smile faltered. "What's wrong?"

"Why was your door unlocked?" I demanded.

"Umm…" she fidgeted.

I took a deep breath to calm myself before I spoke. I didn't want to freak her out with my temper.

"Bella, you need to keep your door locked. I mean, I doubt that whoever is leaving the rose's could get in the building, but, you never know. Please, keep your door locked," I reasoned with her.

"Sorry? I don't know what I was thinking. I know you're right." I saw her lip tremble. _shit!_ Maybe I was a little harsh.

"I'm sorry," I told her as I wrapped my arms around her "I didn't mean to upset you. I was just surprised to find it unlocked." _say something sweet, Cullen! _"I just found you, I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Aww. I'll keep it locked from now on, Edward." Bella reached up with puckered lips. Being the gentleman that I am, I met her halfway.

The kiss started very sweet and chaste, but when I felt Bella's tongue sweep across my lips, all the sweetness flew out the window. I held her tightly to me with a hand in her hair and one very low on her back. Bella had a hand wrapped around my right shoulder and her other one fisting my shirt.

I walked backwards to lean against the back of the sofa. Bella broke away to breathe and I continued kissing her neck and jaw. Her skin tasted so sweet. I found a spot below her ear that made her shiver. I nipped at it and earned a moan from her. My hands were roaming over her back and hips. I could feel Bella's nails scraping up and down my back. She hiked her leg up, I grabbed her thigh and wrapped her leg around my waist. She hopped a little and wrapped her other leg around me grazing my cock with her hot core. I groaned at the contact and bucked my hips into her. Bella's lips were kissing my neck and it felt wonderful.

I knew it was too soon for this to happen and it took all my will power to slow things down.

"Bella?" I whispered. "Sweet girl, we have to stop." She pulled her lips off my neck and sighed. "As much as I really, _really_ want to continue this, we need to slow down." I kissed her temple, letting my lips linger against her skin.

"Okay. You're right. Again. God Cullen, don't you get tired of being right all the time?" Bella asked, lightening the air around us.

"Ha Ha. Very funny, smart ass. Unwrap yourself and let's take Jake out." I kissed her lips and helped her set her feet on the floor. We took a minute to right our clothing and get our breathing under control before grabbing Jake and heading out.

Bella and I walked with Jake in the park for about three hours. At one point we bought some sodas, and a water for the dog, and sat down across from each other. We just talked. I told her about growing up with Emmett and Alice. She told me what life was like living with the Chief of Police and her crazy mother.

I asked her if she had any secret vices. Lucky Charms cereal, Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream and cheap frozen pizza were what she told me.

"Spill Cullen. You have to give something up after I just revealed my 'crappy day' foods!" Bella laughed. God, I could listen to her laugh all day.

"Okay, Okay!" I yelled after she poked me in the ribs with her finger. "Christ woman, you are dangerous. Those fingers could be registered as lethal weapons! Alright, my secret vices are Whatchamacallit candy bars, fettuccine alfredo and the cereal has to be Cap N' Crunch. Oh, and don't forget pie.

"Hmm, I make a mean alfredo, and I love Crunch Berries," she mused.

"No. No Crunch Berries. But, you can make me alfredo whenever you want," I chuckled, kissing her lips.

We talked about favorite books and movies, as well as the ones we disliked. We discussed places we wanted to visit and places we'd been.

"Tell me about where you work. Do you have an apartment over there?" Bella asked.

I knew this would come up and I told her I would always be honest with her. It has just presented itself earlier than I thought. Bella noticed my hesitation.

"What? Did I say something wrong? She looked confused and a little hurt. I pulled her over to sit next to me and held her hand.

"Umm, when I first told you about my job, I wasn't completely honest about that." Bella started to pull her hand away, I held it tighter. "It's not what you think. Just hear me out. Please?" She relaxed and nodded her head.

"I **do** work in security overseas, but it's for the U.S. government. We carry out military type operations, top secret stuff. I mainly deal with kidnap & rescue. They recruited me out of the Marines roughly three years ago." I stopped to let my words sink in and asses her reaction.

"Well, I'd imagine you can't just come right out and tell people that, can you? It's okay. Edward. You didn't even know me when you told me about your job. So, where do you stay when you're over there?" she asked, not missing a beat. Bella continues to amaze me.

"I share an apartment with another guy. His name is Laurent, he's French. It's your standard two bedroom apartment. It's smaller than our places here, but it works. The office is in Cairo. There isn't a lot more I can tell you because of security purposes. Other than a contact number for the office, you know as much as my family does," I confessed.

"Wow, so you're kinda like a secret agent? That's hot, Edward," she said with a sexy smirk.

I took her other hand and pulled her with me as I layed down on the grass. I rolled us so I hovered over her. I held myself up with my elbows.

"You think I'm hot?" I whispered as I ran my nose along her jaw.

"Maybe just a little," she teased.

"Only a little? Huh." I proceeded to kiss the hell out of her. I wrapped my fingers in her hair and probed her mouth with my tongue. Bella was gasping and moaning. I vaguely remembered we were in public, so I pulled back.

"Okay, you're hot. So fucking hot," Bella said breathlessly. I laughed and Jake decided that it was play time.

He jumped on my back and started barking. He jumped off and licked both of us until we sat up. I got the feeling he was trying to distract me.

"The rain is moving in, let's get going," I said. I stood up and held my hand out to Bella, helping her up. We walked, our fingers intertwined, back to our building.

We got up to our floor, and stood outside our doors. I didn't want to leave her yet, but wasn't sure I should say it. Turns out, I didn't have to.

"Come in. I'll make a light dinner and we can just hang out. I need to do a few things for school, but I wouldn't mind having some company," Bella said.

"It sounds perfect, actually." I followed her into her place.

"Make yourself comfortable. Watch TV or whatever you want. I'm going to start dinner." Bella hung up Jake's leash and went to the kitchen.

"Is there anything I can help with?" I offered.

"Nope, I got it, thanks though." Bella kissed my cheek and turned to the fridge.

I had to fight myself to not move up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. Since I've been able to touch her, I can't seem to stop. I went back to the living room and sat on the sofa. Jake jumped up with me and put his head on my lap. I gave him a scratch and grabbed the remote.

Bella came out and sat next to me, firing up her laptop. She turned so her back was at the opposite end of the sofa. She had put on glasses. Cute as hell, fucking black framed glasses. I stifled a groan. Seeing her like that brought nothing but naughty teacher scenarios into my head.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. After a few deep breaths and thoughts of a naked Emmett, I brought my head back up and opened my eyes.

We had a simple but great meal of grilled chicken and salad. I insisted on cleaning up while she finished her work. I sat back down and picked up her foot, absentmindedly rubbing it and playing with her toes while I watched the news. It was a nice, comfortable, normal evening. I took Jake out for her. It was getting late and I didn't like her going out in the dark by herself. When the dog got a little bigger, he would look more formidable. Right now, he just looked like he was all legs. Jake was nothing but a gangly pup.

I brought him home and kissed Bella good night. For about ten minutes. I made sure we exchanged cell numbers and then remembered I was going into the school in the morning.

"Do you want to ride with me in the morning?" I asked.

"If I ride with you, I won't have a way home, Edward."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to pick you up after school then, Miss Swan."

"Edward, I don't want to inconvenience you," she said quietly.

"I offered. I would be honored, actually. See you in the morning." I kissed her forehead and went home.

After taking a quick shower, I set my alarm and went to bed.

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**Thank you for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Not quite a lemon here, but it's hot. You've been warned. Thanks for reading/reviewing/alerting/favoriting!**

**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight.**

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CH 13

BPOV

Finding about Edward's job worried me some. I'm glad that he trusted me enough to tell me what he really did, but it sounded dangerous.

Ha! I had to laugh. _He_ is dangerous. To me. That man is sexy as hell and has destroyed more than one pair of my panties since Friday night. And he hasn't even seen my panties. Yet.

It got pretty damn close today. I'm not so sure I would've stopped if he hadn't slowed things down. I was ready to rip his clothes off in the middle of my living room.

We ended up having a nice evening together, though. It felt so good just to _be_. I'm not sure you'd even call it hanging out. I worked on school stuff, mostly. He watched TV and the fact that he was watching me did not escape my attention. I saw his eyes darken and heard his exasperated breath when he saw me with my glasses on.

Just wait til tomorrow, Mr. Cullen.

I got myself ready for bed and drifted off to sleep thinking about Edward.

I woke up late, so I rushed through my shower and quickly dressed. I was wondering if Edward still planned on driving me to school. When I heard the knock on the door, I wasn't wondering anymore.

Jake woofed quietly when he heard Edward. I unlocked the door and opened it.

"Good morning. I'm running just a little behind," I said turning to go to the kitchen.

"Okay. I'll take the dog out," Edward grumbled.

He was back with Jake pretty quickly. He leaned against the entryway of the kitchen.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

"I'm not quite awake yet. It takes me a little while to get going," he groaned.

"Coffee?" I asked. He nodded so I gave him a cup.

"I'll be ready in about 10 minutes." I stopped and gave him a quick kiss on my way past him.

Edward must have gotten fully awake because when I came out dressed for the day and he took in my outfit, his jaw hit the floor and his eyes just about popped out of his head. Such a nice way to start the day. _Giant ego boost_!.

"Holy hell. Are you seriously going to wear that? He asked me.

I looked down at my black pencil skirt, black heels and crisp white short sleeved button up. Then I looked at him. "Yes." was all I said. I grabbed my messenger bag and purse. I doubled checked that I had my keys and phone and walked towards the door.

"Edward? You coming?" I asked. He ran his hands over his face mumbling something and walked to me.

"Let's go, Miss Swan. Lead the way." He pointed down the hall as he closed my door.

I put a little extra sway in my hips so he'd enjoy the view.

Edward drove us in his car to school. We got there earlier than we should have. He drove really fast. I showed Edward where Jasper's office was and told him he could come by my room when he was done. He insisted on walking me.

"Edward, this isn't necessary," I complained.

"Humor me." I was quickly learning that Edward usually got his way.

My classroom was empty because it was still early. Edward looked around my room, then stuck his head out in the hall, most likely looking for the cameras. He came back in, closing the door behind him. He had a determined look in his eyes that I couldn't quite place. He stalked over to me at my desk.

"You should consider yourself lucky, Bella." I looked at him in confusion. What the hell was he talking about? "Children will be coming in here soon. That is the _only_ reason that all I'm going to do is kiss you," he growled. I was utterly speechless.

Edward held me tightly to him and roughly kissed me. One of his hands was precariously close to my ass, while the other one was under my hair at the back of my neck. _fuck. me._ I'm going to need to start carrying spare panties.

He let me go, smirking at me. "Consider that a partial payback for that outfit," he snarled and he walked out the door.

What in the hell just happened? Here I was thinking that I was in control and he totally flipped it on me. I didn't even see it coming! My phone chirped, so I dug it out of my purse while some of the kids came in and took their seats.

**Meet me in the hall in 2 minutes. Have your keys with you. Please ;)-E**

I found my keys and went to the door. The last few kids ran in as the bell rang. Edward was leaning against the lockers across from me. Looking sexy as fuck. Damn, I would've have loved to have seen a 17 year old Edward in high school. I am willing to bet he was pretty yummy back then, too.

"I should've asked for those earlier, or just put Jake in my apartment. I figure while I'm here, he can hang out with me," he said confidently. He straightened up "that is if you don't mind. Sorry Bella, I should have asked first," he said sheepishly.

"It's fine, Edward. Here" I handed him my keys, "I need to get in there, so…I should be ready to leave around 3:15, 3:30 at the latest. Bye." I gave him a little wave.

"See you then. Have a good day, Bella."

The rest of the day was fine. No flowers, no men I hardly knew asking me out. I gathered my things and was ready to go just as Edward walked into my room.

On the ride home, he told me that the footage from last Friday showed a few people entering my room before I got there. None of them carried a flower, that you could see, and all of them had a reason to be there. They were all students with the exception of the custodian bringing in some supplies.

Edward insisted on ordering dinner from the deli. I wasn't going to argue. I told him he could make a copy of my key. It would make things more convenient. For the dog.

The rest of our week went along in a similar fashion. I didn't see him Thursday. Edward was spending the day with his parents. He tried to get me to meet him over there, but I was tired and didn't feel like socializing. Not to mention that I didn't want to intrude. I felt like I had been monopolizing Edward's time. He was leaving in a week and a half.

I ate an early dinner that night and was planning on taking a nice long bath. The building manager finally fixed the bathroom plumbing. I was just getting ready to step into the tub when my phone rang. Damn. I ran out to the dining room where I had left it.

"Hello?" I panted.

"Everything okay, Bella?" Edward's smooth, silky voice penetrated my ear.

"Yes. Fine, I had to run to get the phone." I told him.

"Why? What are you doing?" he asked.

"Um…well, I was just, uh, gettinginthetub," I was suddenly embarrassed as I stood here naked talking to Edward.

"Huh? One more time, slower please," he asked.

"I was just getting in the tub," I said quietly.

"Oh. Oh! So, how close were you to getting in the tub?" he asked softly.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I laughed. "Was there a reason you called?" I asked sweetly.

"Oh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tomorrow night."

We had not been on a real date since we, what? Started seeing each other? I guess that is what we're doing. I wasn't exactly sure what our 'label' was.

"I would love to go out with you tomorrow. What will we be doing?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" He chuckled. smart ass. "Wear something comfortable like jeans. Dress warm, too. That's all you're getting from me. I'll be picking you up at six. Oh, Alice would like to puppy sit. Would you mind if she came by and picked up Jake?"

"Sure that would be great. So, I guess I'll see you at six tomorrow night, then. Goodnight, Edward."

"Goodnight, Bella. Have a nice bath," he said in such a way that I was glad I was naked. I would've ruined another pair of panties. _sigh._

Alice showed up at five to get Jake. "Alice, do you know what your brother has planned for tonight?" She smiled and shook her head, not convincing me in the least.

I gave her Jake's stuff and she told me she'd bring him back on Saturday.

All I had left to do was dress. I had left my hair down and put on a little makeup. I didn't normally wear much jewelry. I had a small pair of silver hoops in my ears and matched a silver bracelet with them.

I pulled out my $250 jeans and slid them on. I hated that they cost so much, but as soon as I got them on, I forgot about it. They fit me like a glove, but were still very comfortable and as a bonus, I could still breath. I chose a dark green long sleeved cotton top. It had a v-neck and was fitted.

I stepped back and looked at myself. I was comfortable, but still looked good. I opted to wear my favorite boots. They were black leather ankle boots with a small heel. I grabbed an elastic band and put it on my wrist, just in case.

I switched out purses with a small one that had a long strap that I could wear across my body. It would be one less thing for me to worry about.

I went to the kitchen for a bottle of water and drank it down in 2 minutes. Great, Bella. Now you'll be needing to pee!

I realized that I was nervous after I rounded the sofa the fourth time. When Edward knocked on the door, it startled me. I took a deep breath and opened it.

Holy fucking hell. I forgot to pack panties. I was going to need them soon.

There he stood in all his glory. Fuckhot Edward Cullen. His hair was it's normal sexy messiness. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with a black t-shirt. A _tight_ black t-shirt. His boots were only what I could describe as motorcycle boots. Big, chunky, black, fucking hot boots.

Oh, he also had a black leather jacket slung over his shoulder. Kill me now.

"Bella, you look amazing." I snorted. Edward could be standing in the Sistine Chapel and you'd only see him.

"You don't believe me?" he asked with an edge to his voice. What was I supposed to say?

"Turn around for me," he said twirling his finger. So I did. He reached out and put a hand on my hip. I felt his breath at my ear. My eyes instinctively closed.

"If I didn't respect you as much as I do and if I didn't _really_ want take you out tonight, we wouldn't be leaving your apartment." POOF! panties. fucking. gone. I actually had to grab hold of Edward's arm so I wouldn't fall. My legs had turned to jelly.

I had to get control of this situation. I took a couple of cleansing breaths and steadied myself. I raised my head to look at him and smiled.

"So, where are we going?" I asked, as if he hadn't just annihilated my skivvies.

"For a ride. Are you ready?" I nodded and closed my door.

When we got to the garage, we stopped at his car. He opened the passenger door and brought out a helmet and another leather jacket. He held the jacket open for me to slip on.

"These are Alice's. If you enjoy yourself tonight, I'll get you your own," he winked at me. "Have you ever ridden?" he asked as we got to the bike.

"No. But I've always wanted to," I said excitedly. He instructed me on how to lean into the curves and turns and wear to put my feet. He adjusted the helmet for me and zipped up the jacket.

Edward got on the bike and started it. I swear I felt the rumble shoot right through my body. He backed it out of the space and steadied it so I could get on. I thought he was sexy before? It was nothing, _nothing,_ compared to Edward sitting on that damn bike.

As soon as I was on and settled, he took off. I wrapped my arms around his hard stomach and leaned my head against his back. Oh yeah. This was going to be fabulous. He went slowly at first, but then sped up as we were leaving town.

It was glorious. I absolutely loved riding that motorcycle. I'm not sure how much of it had to do with the fact that I was wrapped around Edward, but nonetheless, it was great. He drove around a lake and on our way back, by the ocean. We had been riding for a little over an hour when he pulled into a parking area.

Edward reached back and patted my thigh, indicating for me to get off. He put the kickstand in place and slung his leg over the seat. I was having a bit of trouble getting the helmet off, so after he took his off, he helped me.

"Edward, that was fantastic!." I threw myself at him and he held me tight. "I loved it."

"Good. I'm glad. I love riding. Come on, we're going to be late for our dinner reservations." He took my hand and led me to the park on the other side of the parking lot.

We walked up to a tent where there were tables with picnic baskets on them. A man approached us at the entrance.

"Name, please?" the man asked.

"Cullen." The man turned and went to one of the tables. He returned with a basket and a blanket.

"Here you are. Just bring it back here when you're done. Have a nice evening. Enjoy." The man smiled politely.

Edward then led me to an open area of grass. He was mumbling something I couldn't understand.

"What? Is something wrong? I asked.

"Yeah, they need to have people working here that don't ogle other men's girlfriends," he grumbled. _girlfriend?_ huh.

"I'm sorry. That guy was looking at you in a way I did not appreciate." I just looked at him.

"Edward, I didn't even notice," I told him in all honesty.

"He was looking at you like you were something to eat, Isabella. You know what? Never mind." He spread out the blanket. "Let's sit down." Edward calling me by my full name sent a tingle down my spine.

We sat down and got comfortable. Shortly after, music started playing. I looked around and turned my head to look at Edward, smiling.

"Tonight is the final performance of the season for the local symphony. They do this all summer. Do you like it?" he asked nervously.

"Edward, it's perfect. What's in the basket?" I asked, suddenly hungry.

The basket held sliced meats and cheeses along with a couple different kinds of bread. There were grapes and strawberries and water. Edward said he could have ordered wine with the basket. 'Next time' he said.

We sat there eating and listening to the beautiful music. When we finished eating, we put everything back in the basket and laid down on the blanket. Every so often there would be a break in the clouds and we could see a few stars.

Edward had me sit up a bit, he wanted to put his arm around me. I laid my head on his shoulder and snuggled into his chest. I felt his fingers in my hair and it felt really nice.

When the concert was over, we dropped off the basket and got back on the bike. As we pulled up to our building, I felt a little disappointed. I wanted to ride the motorcycle a while longer.

Edward noticed. "You'll thank me tomorrow," he said cryptically. "I know you get up early, so if you're tired, that's fine. But, if you're up for it, I rented a movie," he told me as we rode the elevator.

"I'm fine. What movie?" I wasn't ready for our night to be over.

"Come with me and I'll show you." He unlocked his door and let me go through.

He set both helmets down and helped me take my jacket off. Once he had both our coats hung up he took my hand and led me to the sofa. We both took our boots off and set them to the side.

"Want something to drink? Beer, wine, water, soda? I have popcorn too, if you like," he offered.

"I'll have Coke. No popcorn for me, thanks. I'm going to use the bathroom. I'll be right back." I went in the opposite direction of his bedroom and used the guest bath.

I washed my hands and dampened my face a little. When I got back out, Edward had the lights turned down, the TV on and our drinks on the table in front of the sofa.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded a 'yes' to him.

Edward patted the spot next to him and I eagerly took it. He hit a button on the remote and I squealed.

"Thank you! I can't believe you remembered!" He had rented one of my all time favorite movies. An early Mike Meyers film. 'So, I Married an Ax Murderer'.

Edward moved so his leg ran along the back of the cushions and the other was on the floor. He pulled me by my hips to sit between his legs. I leaned back against him and rested a hand on his knee.

We watched most of the movie casually touching each other. When Edward started kissing my neck, I forgot about the movie. I turned in his arms and found his lips with my own.

He held my face between his hands and kissed me so passionately, I thought I would faint. He pulled me in closer and a little higher. His hands ran down my back and stopped when they reached my ass.

"I'm sorry, is this okay? I can't keep my hands off you," he whispered. I nodded and he dug his fingers into my ass.

A noise escaped me and Edward moaned into my mouth. That spurred us both on. I ran my hands over his tight shirt, feeling his muscled chest. I scraped my nails over him, eliciting another moan. I wrapped my hands around his strong shoulders and gripped his shirt.

Edward squeezed my ass with one hand and the other was running up and down my side, grazing the side of my breast on each pass. We both were moaning softly and gasping when our lips broke apart. I kissed his neck and licked along his jaw. He shifted me a bit and I could feel his hard cock press into me.

"Uh…" I cried out.

"Fuck, Bella," he hissed.

My hands made it under his shirt and I could feel his muscles ripple and move beneath them. I moved so I was straddling Edward. He was kissing my neck and the skin above my shirt.

He reached up and cupped my breasts through my shirt. "Is this okay?" he asked. I didn't trust my voice, so I nodded. He gently caressed my breasts and ran his thumbs over my already hardened nipples.

"Oh…mmm" I was semi-incoherent at this point. I felt his mouth nip at me through my shirt and I ground myself down on him.

He moved underneath me so his cock was pressing into me right _there_. We gently rocked against each other enjoying the feeling. I really wanted his shirt off. I found the hem and tugged at it. He reached behind him a pulled it off.

"Edward," I whispered, "you're beautiful." He was. His bare chest was a sight to behold. It was solid and defined, muscular, but not overly developed. He had a smattering of hair. He was…perfect.

I leaned towards him, giving him open mouthed, wet kisses along his neck. He was gasping and held my hips tightly.

"Bella…oh, that feels…really good," he said in his silky soft voice.

He shifted his body and my world tipped. The next thing I knew, I was on my back with Edward hovering over me. He rested on his elbows, with his hands twisted in my hair. He moved my face where he wanted and kissed me, his tongue reaching deeply into my mouth. His cock was rocking against my hot center, which I was sure was wet through the denim.

He pressed just right and I could feel the beginning of an orgasm coiling inside me.

"Bella. Bella, oh god" he rocked against me, pressing harder, he was going to cum, too.

"Yes, oh, more Edward," I squirmed against him. He locked his eyes with mine.

"Baby, are you cumming, too?" he asked, panting. He snaked a hand under my shirt, firmly grabbing my breast, pinching my nipple that was threatening to cut through the nylon of my bra. "Cum for me, sweetheart. I can't wait to feel how wet you are, baby."

"Oh, shit Edward, unh," his dirty talk did me in. "Oh yes….ahh" Edward's lips swallowed my moans as I came. He rocked a few more times and I could feel his big hard cock pulse against me as he came. He chanted my name and the feel of him throbbing against me brought on another orgasm.

"Edwaard," I yelled. Holy shit. If he could do that to me with my clothes on, what the hell would it be like without them? He buried his head in the crook of my neck, my hair surrounding his face.

He peppered my neck with small kisses as I held him to me. I didn't want to let him go. When our breathing returned to normal, he pulled back so he could look at me.

"Bella, that was incredible." kiss " please stay with me tonight, I don't want to let you go," he said as his voice shook.

"Me either, Edward."

We got up and he found a t-shirt for me and got himself cleaned up. I went in his bathroom and cleaned up, myself. When I came back out, he was lying in his bed waiting for me. I stared at him for a moment thinking that _this_ was the best view of Edward. All those other sights were great. But this one? This beautiful man with his messy hair and bare chest, smiling softly at me, waiting for _me_ in his bed, was so much more.

I climbed into bed with him and he pulled me to his chest, my back to him. He kissed the side of my temple and my hair and spoke softly in my ear.

"Sleep, Bella. Thank you for going out with me." His voice held an emotion I couldn't place, but it warmed my heart.

"It was perfect, Edward. Thank you," I sighed. I must have drifted off to sleep, because that was the last thing I remembered.

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**Thank you for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/alerted. I really appreciate it! Thank you Kari. You rock! I have 2 RECS: Lives in Chaos by xXkiwicullenXx-funny, sexy-**

**it's great! Eventide by Queen of Hearts Mad Writer. Vampella and Human Edward-I'm loving this story and it isn't getting enough love! (in my opinion) Go check them both out!**

***Disclaimer: Stephaie Meyers owns Twilight***

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Ch 14

EPOV

She'd said it was perfect. I had to agree. Feeling Bella wrapped around me on my bike was like nothing else. I wanted to pull over and take her on it. Then at the park, when she was in my arms, it felt like everything was right with the world.

I wasn't sure she'd want to stay for the movie, but I sure as shit am glad she did. Otherwise, she wouldn't be in my arms right now. I was a little worried that she would regret last night.

I had wanted to take my time with her, but something just took over last night and I couldn't help myself. Her skin tasted so good, and she was so responsive to my touch. Her hair and skin always smelled so nice, I could stay wrapped up in her hair for days.

Kissing Bella was like nothing else. I've kissed my fair share of girls, but something about kissing this goddess in my arms was so very different. Her taste, her feel, her soft but firm lips. I failed to stifle the groan that escaped me. Just thinking about her has got me worked up.

Bella stirred and I took the opportunity to greet her. I placed hot, wet kisses on her neck. I pulled on the neck of the t-shirt I gave her to wear so I could kiss down her chest. I stopped when I got to her bra and just licked along the edge.

Bella moaned and opened her eyes. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Morning, Edward. What are you doing?" she smirked at me.

"Sorry, I told you that I can't keep my hands off of you." I lowered my head and kissed her slow and deep. I knew that this shouldn't go any further, so I pulled back resting my forehead against hers.

"What kind of plans do you have for today?" I asked.

"I need to go to the grocery store and drop some stuff at the cleaners. That's about it," she said.

"So, while I've got you here, I wanted to ask you something." I hesitated. I felt like a nervous teenager, all awkward and shit. "I called you my girlfriend last night, how did you feel about that?"

"Well, it did surprise me, but, I uh…liked it" she said quietly.

"So you're alright with that? I don't want to put you in that position if you're not ready. I'm leaving soon and if you don't want to wait, I'd understand." My brows were furrowed with concern. I hoped she say yes, but I wasn't sure. And I had to remind her that I was leaving.

Bella put her hands on either side of my face, looking me in the eye. She gave me a small kiss before she spoke.

"Edward, I would love to be your girlfriend. I have no problem waiting for you. I don't want anyone else." I couldn't stop the smile that erupted on my face. I kissed her in a not so chaste way.

"What about you?" she asked, pulling her lips away from mine. "You'll be in a foreign country surrounded by exotic women," she said sadly.

"Bella, you are the only woman I want. You are plenty exotic" kiss "and sexy" kiss " and beautiful" kiss "and I will love being your boyfriend." Bella melted into my arms. I held her, burying my face in her hair.

"Why don't we get cleaned up and I'll take you out to breakfast. We can run your errands and then I'd like to stop over at my parent's house this afternoon, if you don't mind."

For my own peace of mind, I needed to know that Bella was comfortable with my family. I hoped that when I was gone, she would go to them if she needed anything.

"Okay, I'm going home to shower. Oh! What about Jake? Alice said she'd bring him by," she said getting out of bed. Seeing her standing there in just my t-shirt sent a shiver through my body.

"I'll have her bring him to Mom and Dad's later. I'll text her." I wrapped her up in my arms and kissed her again. I walked her to the door after she gathered her things.

I took the spare key of hers that I had made and asked her to wait. I unlocked her door and waved my arm towards it. I didn't want her standing out in the hall in just my t-shirt.

"See you soon. I'll come over when I'm done," I told her, kissing her cheek.

I texted Alice and got in the shower. I threw on a pair of faded jeans and a sweatshirt. It took me a minute to find my sneakers, I think Jake moved them. Again. I discovered that he liked shoes. Well, _my_ shoes. He didn't chew them, but picked them up and hid them.

I grabbed my wallet and phone and went over to Bella's. _my girlfriend_. I was surprised that I liked the sound of that as much as I did. I knew that we had moved kind of fast after we discovered that we felt the same way about each other, but I really didn't care. I felt what I felt and I wasn't going to wait just because it was going against dating's do's and don'ts. Not to mention, I didn't have a lot of time with her before I left.

I knocked before using my key to go into Bella's apartment. I figured that she was still in the shower and I stuck my head in her bedroom and heard the shower just shutting off.

"Bella, I'm here." I wanted to make sure she knew I was here. I smelled coffee and helped myself to a cup. I sat down in the chair by the TV and decided to program a song for Bella's number.

I couldn't decide between the classic 'In Your Eyes' by Peter Gabriel or the new Bruno Mars 'Just The Way You Are'. I wasn't big on pop music, but that song was perfect for Bella. I went with Bruno. Just as I finished, Bella came out dressed and ready to go.

She had a dress on that hit just past her knees. It was white and she had a blue sweater over it. The skirt was billowy and almost floated when she walked. She had put on these little tennis shoes that made her feet look really cute.

"Damn, baby. You look great. Maybe I should go change." I offered.

I didn't realize until after the fact that I had called her 'baby'. She didn't seem offended by it, so I wasn't going to mention it.

"No, don't change. I like what you have on," she said. "Here, let's take my car," she said as she handed me the keys.

We got into Bella's BMW. It was a 135i series. I'd never driven one of these, but heard good things about them. It's a Beemer, what's not to like? Besides, it was quick. Which I really liked.

I took Bella to a local diner that had really good food. We got her groceries and dropped them at her apartment. She picked up the stuff she had wanted to take to the cleaners that we'd forgotten and headed out again.

When Bella went inside the dry cleaners, I called my dad to give him a head's up about coming over and that Bella was _with_ me. He chuckled and said he'd see us soon.

We got over there and Bella went with my Mom to help put a late lunch together.

Dad and I sat down to play chess.

"So, I take it things are going well with Bella?" Dad asked.

"Yeah." Words escaped me for the moment.

"Would you like to hear my observations?" he asked me.

"Uh, sure Dad."

"Well, she seems very sure of herself. Confident and comfortable in her own skin. She's grounded and has a calm demeanor." He paused, letting his words sink in. "You do realize that Lauren was none of those things, right?" he asked. And no, I hadn't realized that.

"What is it that you're trying to tell me, Dad?"

"Bella isn't going to run. She's worth your confidence and your trust. I think, if you play your cards right, that she could be the one," he said assuredly. "Plus, your Mother and I really like her," he laughed. I remembered what an uphill battle it had been getting my family to accept Lauren.

Mom called us to lunch soon after. I watched Bella as she interacted with my parents. She seemed to fit right in. My mom kept looking at me like she was going to burst. Dad just looked like the cat that ate the fucking canary. Bella seemed quite comfortable around them and that pleased me to no end.

It makes me feel a lot better knowing that my family will be looking out for her. Alice brought Jake over and hung out with us for a while. She left to meet up with Jasper and we left soon after.

We spent the rest of the evening at her place. I ordered Chinese and we had another chopsticks lesson. Bella and I watched some stupid reality TV and she fell asleep against me. I eased out from under her and ran Jake out real quick.

When I came back in, I scooped Bella up and laid her in bed. I debated on what I should do. Go home? Stay? I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her before leaving. I quietly went to my apartment and got a pair of sleep pants.

I took her dress off and found the t-shirt she had worn last night at my place. I slipped it on her as gentlemanly as possible and stripped down, putting on my pajama bottoms. As soon as I got into her bed, she moved right over to me and wrapped herself around me.

The feeling of contentment that washed over me was almost tangible. Everything just felt right with Bella. It was somewhat unsettling that these feelings were so strong so quickly. But they were. I couldn't deny it. I didn't want to, either.

I fell asleep with Bella lying across my chest and her hair tangled in my fingers.

The next day was spent finishing up the laundry we both started yesterday and then just hanging out. Around 2pm someone buzzed Bella's intercom.

"Hello?" I thought it was cute the way she answered the intercom like a phone.

"Hi, honey. Let us up, please." Bella turned and looked at me with trepidation.

"My parents," Bella answered my questioning gaze.

"Do you want me to go?" I asked. Maybe she wasn't ready for me to meet her parents?

"No. Unless you're not up for this?" she asked, buzzing them in.

"I'm good. I'd like to meet them before I go," I said honestly.

"Okay. Uh, my Mom will love you. She is a little eccentric-fair warning. Dad doesn't say much, it'll take him longer to warm up to you." Bella opened the door just as they reached it.

"Bella! It's good to see you. I missed you." Her mother cried.

"Bella. Hey, you still have the dog." Her dad said.

"Um, yeah. Mom? Dad? I'd like you to meet Edward, my boyfriend."

All of a sudden, Chief Swan was eye-balling me.

"Boyfriend?" he grumbled. His mustache twitched.

"Hello, Edward. You can call me Renee." She was very friendly.

"Renee, Chief Swan. It's a pleasure to meet you. Um, Edward Cullen," I said, sticking my hand out to shake each of their hands.

"Cullen? Are you related to Officer Emmett Cullen?" the Chief asked.

"Yes sir. He is my older brother." Bella's father seemed to relax a little.

"Well, we won't be staying long. Your father had a little business at the station here, so I rode with him and did a little shopping." Renee explained.

"What is it that you do, Edward?" Chief Swan asked.

I told him the same thing I told anyone that asked. He seemed pleased that we were in a similar profession. We talked about general stuff, hitting on sports. I knew what a big Seahawks fan he was, so I knew it was a safe topic.

True to Renee's word, they were ready to leave an hour or so after arriving. We took Jake out for a short walk and then settled in for the night, staying at Bella's again. I asked her if she minded me staying. I didn't want her to end up resenting me before I even left.

"Edward, you're leaving in a week. I want to spend as much time with you as I can, she said sadly.

Morning and the beginning of the week came too early. Waking up with her in my arms was heaven. It was definitely something I could get used to. I sent Bella off with a kiss and an ass squeeze that curled her toes. I started making the normal arrangements for my departure; Stopping the paper, monthly bills forwarded to my accountant, maintenance scheduled for my vehicles.

On Tuesday, I went out to purchase a gift. I wanted to leave Bella with something, I just wasn't sure what.

I picked her up a webcam and headed to the jewelry store. I walked around staring into the cases, hoping that something would catch my eye. I found a bracelet that I thought would be perfect. It was 18kt white gold with diamonds and sapphires. It was small and delicate and would look perfect on her wrist. Was it too much too soon? Maybe, but I didn't care. Now that I had her gift, I just had to find the right time to give it to her.

Wednesday, we had dinner at Rose and Emmett's house. Alice and Jasper were there, too. We ate and played cards for a while before going home. Because of Bella needing to get up and ready for work, we just stayed at her place.

Jake and I had become tolerant of each other. He was friendly enough, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he was the culprit of my recently missing boxers. I already knew he stole and hid my shoes. He was growing fast and was going to be huge. He'll make a good guard dog. That thought made me feel a little better about leaving Bella.

I went in to have lunch with Bella on Thursday. I didn't find her in her classroom, so I went to the teacher's lounge. She held up a finger from across the room when she saw me. I looked around as I waited and saw a piece of paper on the wall by the door. It had all the teacher's birthday's and anniversary's listed. I noticed that Bella's birthday was last week.

Why didn't she tell me? I was a little miffed that she hadn't said anything. I knew that she didn't like a lot of attention focused on her, but still.

Bella joined me and we ate the lunch that she had packed earlier. We talked about everything but my leaving in 2 days. I was scheduled to leave at 10am out of Seattle on Saturday.

Since find out about her birthday, I had been formulating a plan for this evening. When we finished lunch, I kissed Bella and left for the grocery store.

After purchasing the items I would need for dinner, I went to the bakery and found a cake that was about half the size of a regular one. It was perfect. I stopped by the florist and bought Bella a bouquet of tulips. My last stop was the hardware store.

I got home and started dinner. I put the potatoes in the oven and cleaned up a little in the apartment. I took Jake out and had about an hour before Bella would be home.

Alice had texted me to call her when I had time, so I did.

"Edward, are we still on for tomorrow?" Everyone was getting together Friday evening to say goodbye.

"Yes, Alice. Everyone should be here by six. Don't forget that you're taking Jake when you leave tomorrow," I reminded her.

"I remember, no problem. So, you and Bella are doing well?" she asked.

"Yes. Things are great Ali. I just hope I don't fuck it up," I sighed.

"Edward, you didn't fuck anything up the last time. You need to stop blaming yourself. Lauren is the one who cheated. Bella is not Lauren. She's not going to hurt you."

"I know. Thanks Alice. Listen, I gotta run. Bella will be home soon. See you tomorrow, Ali."

I wrapped the webcam and hid it with the bracelet. I pulled the potatoes out of the oven and started the salad.

Shortly after, Jake started barking letting me know that Bella was home. I opened my door and told her to come over when she was ready. Jake ran over to her place.

I had just finished setting the table when Bella came over. I opened the wine and poured her a glass, kissing her before handing it to her.

"Edward, what is all this?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well, don't get mad, but I found out that your birthday was last week and this is me making up for missing it. Even though I didn't know about it." I wasn't sure what I expected, but I didn't think she'd cry.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

"No one has ever done something like this for me before. My parents stopped making a big deal about my birthday when I graduated high school. James never did anything but buy me a card." Tears were running down her cheeks.

"Bella," I pulled her down to the sofa "I'm sorry about that, but I happen to think that your birth is worth celebrating. Please don't cry. I just want you to enjoy this." I held her, kissing her hair and forehead.

"Dinner is almost ready, I just need to grill the chicken. Come with me." I led her out to the patio.

I put the chicken on the grill and we watched the sky darkening as they cooked. She told me a little about her day as we brought it to the table.

"You bought tulips! Thank you, Edward. They're my favorite. This is all wonderful."

We ate our dinner and talked about my flight. It was a bitch. It's usually a 16 hour flight with a layover or two.

We brought our plates to the sink and I told her to leave them. I took her hand and led her to the living room.

"So, I got you something." Bella started to scowl. "Don't look at me like that," I chastised. "It is my prerogative as your boyfriend to buy you gifts. Open this first." I handed her the webcam.

"Oh, this is for Skype, right?" she smiled as she ripped the paper off.

"Yes, I'll hook it up tomorrow. Now" I took her hand "This is the next one." I handed her the bracelet box. She gasped when she saw it. I plucked it out and fastened it around her wrist.

"I actually bought this before I found out about your birthday."

"Edward, it's too much. I don't think…" I stopped her with my fingers against her lips.

"Don't think. I wanted to get you something so you wouldn't forget about me. I wanted to get you something to show how much I already care about you."

Bella launched herself into my arms, knocking me back on the sofa. She peppered my face with kisses before landing on my lips and kissed me like her life depended on it.

"Baby, I've got one more thing for you," I whispered to her.

"Edward? The dinner, the flowers, the webcam and this beautiful bracelet? Please. It's all more than enough."

I held the tiny box in the palm of my hand and presented it to her. Bella picked it up and opened it. She looked at the key and then me, waiting for an explanation, I suppose.

"It's to my apartment. I want you to have it. And before you say anything, I would have given it to you whether I was leaving or not."

Bella looked at me for a moment, biting her bottom lip, then stood up. She took my hand, tugging at me to stand, and led me to my bedroom.

Where she proceeded to thank me properly.

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**Thank you for reading! Leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Also for all who have put this story (or me) on alert. Thanks to Kari who always seems to have my back! **

**Recs: Lives in Chaos by xXkiwicullenXx**

** Eventide by Queen of Hearts Mad Writer**

***Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight***

** **Lemon Alert****

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Ch 15

BPOV

I couldn't believe all that Edward had done for me tonight. It was true that it had been quite a while since anyone made a big deal about my birthday. Tonight would be difficult for anyone to top.

I had considered waiting to sleep with Edward. Everything between us had happened so fast, but it felt right. I felt so comfortable with him. Everything felt natural. Things may have advanced quickly, but it didn't feel that way.

I told Edward to wait for me while I went into the bathroom. I had changed into a nice bra and panty set when I got home today. I was kind of hoping this would happen.

I took my jeans and shirt off, making sure everything was in place. I brushed my hair and washed my face. When I opened the door, Edward was sitting on the edge of the bed. He turned his head when he heard the door open.

"Fucking hell, Bella," he hissed. I had on black, lacy boy shorts and a matching bra. I could feel his eyes burning a path along my body as he took me in. He quickly stood and in three steps was in front of me.

Edward attacked me-in a good way. His hands were everywhere at once, feeling my exposed skin. He kissed me before licking his way to my bra. His hands cupped and massaged my breasts gently, then growing in intensity. He pulled the cups down freeing my breasts.

He fell to his knees, licking at my nipples, gently sucking and biting them. His hands were on my ass under my panties.

All I could do was hold on. And moan. I ran my fingers through his hair, pulling it occasionally.

"Oh, Edward. Ah…you feel so good," I panted. His touch left my skin tingling.

"Bella?" I looked down at him. He had his hand wrapped around the fabric of my boy shorts. I nodded and he dragged them down my legs. Once they were off, he picked me up and took me to his bed.

He placed me in the middle of the bed and removed my bra, so I was bare for him. He stood back at the edge of the bed and just looked at me. Without removing his eyes from mine, he reached back with one hand and grabbed the neck of his shirt. He pulled it off in one smooth motion, his eyes returning to mine. That was hot.

He unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off, then with his thumbs, pulled down his boxer briefs. He got onto the bed and stalked over to me on his hands and knees. He was glorious. His hard lean body was stunning. His cock was big and hard and…wow.

He was looking at me with wonder and awe, making me feel precious and beautiful. It almost made me cry. I reached for him and he took my hands in one of his and stretched them over my head, holding them to the bed.

He ran a hand from my wrists all the way down my body and back up again, his cock grazing my thigh as he reached to my feet. I was writhing in ecstasy.

"Bella, you are the most exquisite creature I've ever seen." He leaned down and kissed me tenderly. "Are you sure?" he asked. His eyes were on fire.

"Yes, I am. Please." I was practically begging him.

"Patience, Bella. I plan on taking my time with you." His voice was deep and just hearing him made me shiver.

And he did take his time. He kissed and licked up and down my entire body, even turning me over to do so. He had me on my back again and lavished my breasts with his tongue and lips. I was making unrecognizable noises the entire time.

"Bella, your tits are so beautiful and perfect," he panted.

I felt his fingers reach my aching core. He stroked my folds, spreading my wetness around. He slowly pushed his finger into me, then another pumping me gently.

"Fuck, you are so wet," he whispered in my ear. "Is all that for me? Did I make you do that?" His words caused me to moan loudly, my body shuddered. "Are you ready for me. Bella." He didn't ask this as a question.

"Shit Edward, please. Stop teasing me," I pleaded. He removed his fingers and licked them. I felt my clit throb as I watched him.

He moved himself over the top of me. He kissed my lips, then the base of my throat, between my breasts, my belly button and finally, he placed a wet kiss on my sex.

When he brought his head back to me, I felt his cock at my entrance. He kissed me then pushed into me. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him into me further.

"Ahh, Edward," I whispered, as I felt him fill me.

"Holy shit," he sighed, pausing for us both to adjust to the sensation.

He held me as he thrust into me at an even pace, pushing into me as far as he could before slowly pulling out and doing it over again. He would lick and nip at my nipples, suck on the skin below my ear, kiss me, whisper in my ear. I had never been made love to like this before. It was like he read a book about my body and memorized it. He completely ruined me for any other man. Not that I would ever want any other man now.

My hands roamed his body as I kissed and licked him back. If I wasn't in such an ethereal state, I would've been embarrassed by the noises I was making. He grunted and moaned and whispered my name. Our pace picked up as our coils started tightening. He shifted my body and drove into me with purpose and fervor.

"More, Edward. Harder," I begged.

"Oh Bella, I'll give it to you harder," he growled. "Hold on tight to me, sweetheart." Fuck, he must have a degree in talking dirty.

Edward slammed into me, hitting my clit just right until I screamed his name and came harder than I thought possible.

I clung to him as he pounded into me. "bellabellabella," he chanted my name quietly before crying out in his own orgasm. He fell to me and I held him tightly, kissing anywhere I could reach, running my fingers through his hair.

After a few minutes, he pulled out of me. Both of us groaned at the loss. Edward pulled the blankets around us and held me tightly, his lips never leaving my skin.

"It's never been like that before, Edward. It was…everything, amazing," I sniffled. I actually had tears in my eyes.

"I know, baby. I felt it, too. It was like nothing else. So, so good," he whispered against my hair.

What we had just shared was infinitely more than just sex. It was a life altering experience. I felt complete with Edward. Complete and cherished and safe.

How in the hell was I going to let him go now?

I fought the sleep that was overtaking me. Edward's hold on me tightened, even as his sleep claimed him. I closed my eyes, listening to his heart beat and his slow, even breaths.

I stopped worrying about what it would be like when he was gone, and cherished the fact that he was in my arms right now.

When I woke the next morning, I found myself half laying on Edward. My right arm and most of my upper body was across his chest. My right leg was hitched over his hip and Edward was gripping my thigh.

"Oh," I tried to move, unsure if he was comfortable with me draped over him.

"Stay. Don't move, baby. Let me hold you like this for a while," he said. He shifted the arm under my shoulders and started playing with my hair.

I ran my hand over Edward's chest and stomach. His muscles twitched when my fingers passed over his hard, lean physique. He was solid and warm and he smelled so damn good. I've never been so captivated. God, he was fucking perfect.

I felt myself dampen and tried to wriggle away from him, since I was laying with said wetness pressed against him. He had to have felt it. The hand that had held my thigh, snaked further behind me. I felt his fingers ghost over my wetness.

"Get up," Edward snarled. I was startled. He was upset with me. I made to get off the bed when he grabbed me.

"No, Bella. Get on top of me." I just stared at him. My mind was trying to catch up, I thought he was mad, but now… "Now Bella." My eyes popped up to his face. His eyes were dark and his nostrils flared. I whimpered and swung my leg over him.

Edward grabbed my shoulders and pulled me down to him, kissing me hard and squeezing my ass as he pushed up, grinding into me. "Get on, Bella." _oh fuck._

I moved over him and guided his cock to my now throbbing core. As soon as he made contact, he thrust up into me while pushing my hips down.

"Ooh. Ed-ward," I screamed as he filled me.

"Ride me, Bella," he pleaded. His hands held my breasts, squeezing and pinching my nipples.

"Yeah, just like that," he panted as I moved my hips.

"Yes…yes, fuck. That feels so good," I cried.

Edward met me thrust for thrust and soon I was bouncing almost out of control. I felt wanton and wicked. I was so close, I leaned back, resting my hands behind me on Edward's thighs. I felt his finger pushing against my clit and within seconds, I was screaming his name.

He flipped us over and held one of my legs up against his sholder. He pounded into me and I swear I felt him hit my throat.

"Bella…so good….fuck…love this….fuck…" Edward was whispering, to himself I'm pretty sure.

He dropped my leg and pressed his chest to mine. His hands wiped the hair from my face and kissed me deeply as he continued to thrust into me.

"Baby, I'm gonna cum. Bella, can you cum again for me, sweet girl?" He swirled his finger over my clit and took a nipple into his mouth. "That's it, I can feel it," he whispered. "I can feel your tight little pussy clamping down on me." I screamed.

I swear, I bet if he tried, he could make me cum with just his words.

He pumped into me a couple more times before stiffening and chanting my name.

We held onto each other for a while before moving. "Bella, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rough with you. I…" I put my fingers to his lips.

"Edward, you didn't do anything that I didn't like. It was wonderful." He smiled and kissed me.

Unfortunately though, I had to get up. There was no school today, but I needed to go in for a couple of meetings. It would only take a few of hours, but I didn't want to leave.

"Go shower, I'll make you some breakfast," Edward directed. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

After showering, I put my hair up in a towel and grabbed the robe hanging on the back of the door. When I got to the kitchen, Edward had scrambled eggs, bacon and coffee waiting for me.

"Wow. This looks great. Thank you." I told him as I sat at the counter.

"Not a problem, sweetheart." He kissed my forehead. "I already took Jake out, so just get yourself ready for work." _aww_.

After I ate, I gathered up my things and went across the hall to my apartment. I was dressed and ready to go about 45 minutes later. I knocked on Edward's door. I still felt a little funny about just walking in. Although, after the night and morning we just had…

"Bella, you don't have to knock. Are you ready to go?" he asked.

"Yes, I just wanted to say goodbye." Edward kissed me and told me he'd see me later.

EPOV

After Bella left for work, I sat down and closed my eyes. I couldn't have been happier with the way everything had turned out last night.

Bella had accepted all of my gifts and hardly put up a fight. She had been _very_ grateful, too. I hadn't planned on sleeping with her before I left, though.

I wasn't exactly complaining about it, I just didn't want her to think that I did it just because I was leaving. I laughed at myself. I had told Emmett that I wasn't looking for someone. Bella was turning out to be so more than just _someone_.

She felt so good in my arms and on my lips. Being with her, being inside of her, was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was magical. It was heaven. It was home.

I shook myself out of my stupor and got my ass moving. I had to clean up from last night, finish packing, hook up Bella's webcam and run a couple of errands.

I was expecting my family by six, which meant they would start showing up around five. All I was providing was beer, everything else was being brought by them.

I had finished up everything I had to do by 2. My timing was perfect, because Bella got home soon after. We took Jake out for a walk and then hung at Bella's for a while. She wanted to bake cupcakes for this evening.

We took the cupcakes back to my place and Bella was going to frost them there. Emmett and Rose were the first ones to show.

They followed me into the kitchen where Bella was just finishing up. She was standing against the island counter and I stood behind her with a hand low on her hip. Rose had a look of surprise on her face for a moment, but it disappeared quickly and was replaced with a smile.

Emmett was looking at me rather smugly and I knew it was only a matter of time before he opened his mouth. I whispered to Bella that I was going to go talk to Em and kissed her temple.

"Em, need to talk to you bro," I said to him as I walked out of the kitchen.

"Dude, did you tap that?" he asked incredulously as he followed me to my bedroom.

"Emmett!" I yelled and punched him in the arm "shut your fucking mouth!"

"Shit! You did!" He calmed down some and got serious. "So, I was right, huh? She's the one." He said this as if he had a direct line to the fates. I looked at him, contemplating what I would say.

"Yeah, Em. I think she is." I paused, thinking about what I just admitted. "I need you to do me a favor. You've got to look out for her while I'm gone. Whoever the fuck left the flowers hasn't done it since New Moon, but, it still worries me."

"You know I will, Edward," he said. "What else is bothering you?" He eyed me knowingly.

"Uh, well, I'm feeling guilty about asking her to put her life on hold. Is it really fair of me to do this? She said she could deal with it, but…"

"Edward," he put a hand on my shoulder, "Bella is not Lauren. Not even close. I am fairly confident that she'll be fine. Stop worrying yourself."

"Yeah. Dad said the same thing. It's just that we've barely started and now I'm leaving," I sighed.

"You know we'll look out for her. We all will. You don't even have to ask," he said. "How long are you going to be gone this time?"

"Four months, minus the few days for the wedding. I'm scheduled back in February."

Hearing Jake bark and then more than a couple voices, I knew everyone else had arrived. Emmett and I went out to join them. Jasper was carrying one of those big six foot deli sandwiches and Mom and Dad had their hands full with the rest of dinner.

We sat around talking and laughing for the next couple of hours. As I watched Bella and my family, I was beginning to question why I was leaving. For the first time, I was seriously considering leaving Twilight.

"Edward, don't worry about things here at home," my father said, knowing that I was. He must have been watching me fidget.

Mom and Rose started to clean up, prompting everyone else to get up and get ready to leave. Jasper grabbed the kitchen garbage can and collected the trash. Alice and Bella split up what was left of the big sandwich, giving some to everyone.

"Take care of yourself, Edward. I love you," my mom cried.

I said goodbye to them all, promising to call when I landed. I didn't like doing the whole airport send off thing, so none of them were going to be there. Except Bella. I had agreed to let her drive me.

Alice and Jasper left with Jake. Bella said she'd go by and pick him up when she got back tomorrow.

"Love you, Edward. Take care," Alice said as she hugged me. Jasper shook my hand.

"See you, bro." Emmett clapped me on the back as Rose hugged me.

Bella and I were left alone. It didn't feel awkward exactly, but there was a tension in the air. I decided that I needed to diffuse it now, before it spiraled out of control.

"Hey, I hooked up the webcam. Come on, I'll show you how to use it." I held her hand and pulled her across the hall.

I showed Bella how to use the webcam and Skype. I had written down all the pertinent information she would need. E-mail address, the Cairo apartment's telephone number and put all of my family's numbers in her phone.

"I think that's everything. Do you have any questions?" I asked. She hadn't spoken much since everyone had left.

"No. I think you've covered everything. What time are we leaving?" she asked quietly.

"I think six should be early enough. I'm going to get my bags, I'll be back in a minute."

I made sure everything was shut off and locked up before heading back over to Bella's with my bags. When I got there, she had turned off most of the lights and was nowhere to be seen.

I walked into her bedroom and saw the bathroom light peeking out from under the door. I changed into pajama pants and a t-shirt and waited for her. After about ten more minutes, I knocked softly on the door.

"Bella? Sweetheart, are you okay?" I hadn't heard anything but some quiet shuffling coming out of there.

"I'll be right out," she said in a muffled voice. I swear I heard her sniffle. _shit._

I propped my hand on the wall by the door, leaning on it. When she finally opened the door, I straightened up.

"What are you doing?" she asked me. She had already dressed for bed in pajama pants and another thin tank top.

"Waiting for you. Are you okay?" I repeated.

"Yes, Edward. I'm fine," she huffed.

I crossed my arms over my chest and stared at her. I knew she wasn't _fine_.

"Edward, stop looking at me like that. It is perfectly normal for me to be a little emotional about you leaving. I am fine."

"Bella," I said softly. I wrapped her in my arms. "I'm going to miss you, too. I promise we'll talk as much as I possibly can. Come on, let's go to bed."

We climbed into bed and I pulled her into me. We reassured each other with soft touches and chaste kisses, holding each other until we fell asleep.

My phone's alarm woke me at 5am. I reached for it, noticing that Bella was not in bed. I smelled coffee so I got up and found her in the kitchen.

"Good, you're up. I made muffins and the coffee is ready," Bella said, kissing my cheek.

"How long have you been up, sweetheart?" I asked, rubbing her arm.

"Not too long. I'm going to go get dressed." Her eyes didn't meet mine.

It was just after 8am when we got to the airport. Bella walked with me as far as she could. We stood off to the side in a relatively isolated area.

"I'll call you when I land in D.C. and again from Cairo. I'm going to miss you, baby," I cooed in her ear.

"Please take care of yourself, Edward. I'll miss you, too," she sniffled.

I had one hand at the small of her back and one in her hair at the back of her neck. My lips were on her forehead. "I left you something in my apartment," I told her. Bella chuckled, shaking her head.

"You need to go, Edward. Security and all. Or do you get to bypass that?" she laughed.

"No, I still have to go through it. Smart ass," I teased. "I'll talk to you soon, Bella." I wasn't going to tell her goodbye.

"I'll be waiting, Edward." Bella got on her tip toes and kissed me tenderly. I kissed her back and stepped away from her.

When I reached the point where I wouldn't be able to see her anymore, I waved and kissed my fingers, holding them up towards her. Bella smiled and did the same. I went to my gate and waited for the plane to board, wishing that she was with me.

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**Thanks for reading! Leave me a review and let me know what you thought. This was my first lemon, be nice! :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Everyone ready for Eclipse? I know I am! Thank you to everyone who's read/reviewed and favorited this story! (or me) I am blown away at the response I've gotten!**

**Thanks always to xXkiwicullenXx She totally rocks! Go check her and he stories out. She just posted new chapters for Lives In Chaos.**

**Thanks to Stephanie Meyers, otherwise I wouldn't be here. *(She owns Twilight, btw)**

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Ch 16

BPOV

He's gone. I watched until I couldn't see him anymore. I was proud of myself. I waited until I got back to my car before I broke down. By the time I got onto the highway, I had stopped. Saying goodbye at an airport is always tough. I really tried to stay upbeat for him. I didn't want him leaving and seeing me a quivering mess.

I was determined that sadness wasn't going to rule my life while Edward was gone. I don't want to live like that and I know that he wouldn't like it. I found some happy sounding music on the radio and made my way home.

I was supposed to meet up with Rose and Alice. They had some wedding stuff to do and asked me to join them. I made it home about a half an hour after Edward's flight was scheduled to take off. I felt exhausted from not really sleeping the night before.

Before calling Alice, I went to Edward's apartment. He said he left me something. I couldn't imagine what it could be, especially after all the gifts he gave me last night.

In the middle of his dining room table sat the tulips. There was a card and a memory stick sitting in front of them. I sat down and opened the card. The front said:

_in a crowd full of faces, yours is the only one I see_

Inside, it read_ :_

_Night and day, you are the one.*_

_**Bella, **_

_**On the memory stick, you'll find music that reminds me of you.**_

_**Know that I'll be thinking of you often and missing you always.**_

_**Edward**_

So, I was crying again. I gathered up everything including the flowers and took them to my apartment. I turned on my laptop and plugged in the memory stick. I figured I'd better call Alice, as well.

"Hi Bella, how ya doing hon?" Alice asked me.

"I'm fine Alice. So, I'm home. What time did you want to meet up?" I asked.

We agreed that she would come pick me up so she could drop Jake off. We would meet Rose who needed to have another dress fitting and wanted to shop for attendant gifts.

I transferred the music to my I-pod and turned it on. The first song that came on was 'In Your Eyes' by Peter Gabriel. That melted me on the spot. My own personal Lloyd Dobler. Damn, who would've thought?

I listened to the music all the way to the bridal shop. Stone Sour's 'Say You'll Haunt Me' was coming on as we parked.

We met up with Rose and had a great time. We went to Rose's fitting first and her dress was beautiful. She looked like an angel. Alice suggested a relatively new restaurant for lunch called Masen's. After we were seated, the inquisition started.

"All right Bella. Spill." Both Rose and Alice stared at me with their eyes sparkling.

"What exactly do you want to know?" I asked.

"What is going on, _exactly_, with Edward?" Alice asked. Rose had an expectant look on her face.

"Well, he's my boyfriend." I hoped that would be enough. Of course, it wasn't.

"That's a start. Tell us about the date you went on last week," Rose asked. Well, demanded.

I told them about riding on his motorcycle and our dinner in the park. They ooo'd and ahh'd and aww'd in all the right places. I told them how Edward overreacted with the guy at the tent.

"Yes, well, you need to understand that Edward can be possessive and demanding. He means well. A lot of it comes from his military training and his job. Some of it is just him, though. He likes to be in control and aware of everything going on," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

"I get that. I have seen that side of him," I briefly thought about yesterday morning and blushed, "but he isn't controlling. I actually find it sweet and kind of flattering. Does that make sense?" I asked.

"Yes. Emmett is like that, too. I know that it's just a part of him and that he's just trying to protect me. It's their nature. Every once in a while it's a little much and I've got to tell him to back off, but usually I'm fine with it," Rose confided.

The waitress brought our drinks and took our lunch orders. I looked around the restaurant and recognized one of my students bussing a table.

"So, did you sleep with him?" Alice asked. I almost spit my iced tea across the table.

"Alice! That's your brother you're talking about!" I hissed.

"I'd like to think of it as 'it's my best friend's boyfriend'," she said "so spill," she smiled. Alice calling me her best friend felt really good.

I slowly took a sip of my tea, looking at both girls over the glass.

"You did!" Rose yelled. I just smiled.

"Come on Bella, just give us some details. Pleease?" Alice begged.

I let them squirm a bit before telling them about what Edward did for my birthday. I described the flowers and dinner and gifts he gave me. I showed off my bracelet, which they loved. And without giving too much detail, I told them how sweet and caring he was when he made love to me.

Rose and Alice both had dreamy looks in their eyes when I had finished.

"Wow, that sounds really nice Bella. So was that it?" Rose asked. By this point I had let my reservations go about dishing.

"No. The next morning, yesterday, it was completely different. Don't get me wrong, it was still really great, but, oh my god! It was so freaking hot!" I blushed.

"I knew it! Sweet and slow is great and I love it, but hot and hard is fantastic, isn't it?" Rose stated. Alice and I heartily agreed.

We finished our lunch and did some shopping for Rose's wedding. She found some pretty necklaces to get for her attendants. She asked my opinion about them and I told her I thought they were great.

"Good. I know it's short notice and all, but would you be in my wedding Bella?" she asked.

"Are you sure?" Rose explained that her cousin wasn't going to be able to attend because of a job she had recently gotten.

"Please don't think of it as an afterthought or anything like that. I've wanted to include you for a while now and this just presented the opportunity," Rose pleaded.

"Rose, I would love to," I told her.

We decided to go to the bridal shop the following day as it was getting late. Before we left the mall, my phone rang. I looked at the screen. _Edward_.

"Hello? Edward?" I breathed. I walked to a bench and sat down. The girls followed me.

"Hey baby. I'm in DC," he said.

"How was your flight?" I asked.

"Good. We made good time. I've got about an hour or so before the next flight."

"How long will that take?" I asked.

"Almost 12 hours," he sighed.

"Thank you for the music and the beautiful card, Edward."

"You are more than welcome Bella. I already miss you," he said quietly.

"Me too," I paused. "I know it will be early, but please call me when you get there?" I asked.

"It'll take me up to an hour to get to the apartment after I land. Can I call you when I get there?" he asked.

"Of course, Edward. Whatever works best for you. Have you called your Mother?"

"No. You were all I was thinking about." I smiled. "I'll call her as soon as I hang up with you."

I told him what I was doing and he asked me to pass a 'hi' along to Alice and Rose.

"Bella, I've got to go. I'll talk to you soon, okay baby?"

"Okay. I'll talk to you in the morning. Bye Edward."

"Bye baby."

I was determined not to cry. Rose and Alice both had concerned looks on their faces and hugged me.

We agreed that they would come over to get me around 11 tomorrow so we could get me fitted for a dress. I got to my car and went home.

EPOV

Leaving Bella was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time. Things between us were so new and fresh, I was worried. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, it was that I'd been through this before and my insecurities were sneaking up on me.

As soon as I heard her voice, though, a peace fell over me and all the worry left. I had been glad to hear that she was out with Alice and Rose. I hoped that she would continue to spend time with my family. She was quickly becoming part of it.

The flight to Cairo was long. The company paid my travel expenses, but I always upgraded to first class. Call me a snob, but I figured that as much as I flew, I was going to be as comfortable as possible.

One of the flight attendants seemed to take a shine to me almost immediately. She was pretty but I didn't give her more than a fleeting glance. Bella had me heart and soul. I chuckled to myself. I didn't even know her a month ago and now I couldn't get her off my mind. I wasn't trying very hard to, either.

The streets of Cairo were bustling. It was after 4pm here. Cairo is 10 hours ahead of Seattle. The cab driver weaved through the traffic and people getting me to the apartment quickly. I paid him and went inside.

My roommate was there and by the 'fuck me' shoes sitting next to the sofa, he wasn't alone. I wasn't expected at the office until tomorrow, but needed to check in. After I did that, I grabbed a bottle of water and went to my room to call Bella. I really didn't want to wake her up, but I told her I would call.

The phone only rang twice before a sleepy sounding Bella answered.

"Edward?" she said.

"Morning Bella. I'm here. Did you sleep well?" I asked.

"Not really, but I'll take a nap later," she sighed.

"That sounds good. I am wiped." I scrubbed a hand over my face before looking around the empty room.

"What time is it there?" Bella asked.

I explained the time difference and told her that I didn't need to be in until the morning. She told me about Rose including her in the wedding. That made me immensely happy. I was only going to be home for a few days and her being in the wedding meant I would be able to spend more time with her.

"Edward, you need to sleep. Have you eaten anything lately?" she asked.

"I'm too tired to eat. I'm just gonna hit the sack. I miss you, Bella." I hated sounding like such a wuss, but what I wouldn't give to feel her right now. Fuck, this was going to be hard.

"I miss you, too Edward. Um, I hope this isn't going to make me sound like a perv but, I put something in your suitcase. It might help. I know it helped me."

"Hold on a sec." I told her. I opened my bag and found the last tank top she had worn. I held it to my face and instantly was surrounded by her. "Bella," I whispered "thank you. Damn, it's almost like you're here."

"I know. I went over and got your pillow. My bed still smells like you, too."

"Shit, I wish I could feel you right now baby," I confessed. I heard Bella sniffle. "Oh, Bella. I'm sorry. I know I'm not making this any easier."

"It's okay. This isn't going to be easy, Edward. I knew that. Maybe when we can see each other it will be better. I want you to get some sleep and maybe we can Skype tomorrow. Or my tomorrow and your Tuesday?" she asked, chuckling.

We decided that 6am my time Tuesday morning, 8pm Monday night for her, we would Skype.

"Sweet dreams, Edward. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Go back to sleep, baby. I talk to you soon. Bye for now," I said.

"Bye Edward."

I looked at Bella's beautiful face on my phone and got into bed. Sleep took me quickly and I dreamed of my girl.

I got to the office the next morning and went into the conference room for briefing. I was updated on some of the things I had missed. There wasn't any trouble brewing that involved me and my team at the moment so I went to my office.

I plugged in the USB drive that was a replica of the one I made Bella. I got a little ballsy with some of the songs. Well, a lot ballsy actually. Closer by Nine Inch Nails was seeping out of my computer speakers. I wonder what she'd think about that?

I went through some of the files that had been left on my desk while I was gone and began the process of re-assimilating myself. I turned off the music because I was finding it really hard to concentrate on what I was doing. All I could think about was Bella.

Over the next couple of weeks, I had a couple of cases that ended up being routine. In, out, no big deal. We had training sessions often to keep our senses sharp. If my department didn't have anything going on, we helped out in other situations behind the scenes.

I talked to Bella in one form or another almost everyday. When I was with Lauren, I barely spoke to her once a week. Sometimes it was just a text that was usually done because I felt obligated. I knew from speaking to my family that Bella seemed to be coping. I wasn't spying on her, though. Alice, Em and my parents all mentioned her when I talked to them. Bella has already had more contact with my family than Lauren did the entire time we were together.

Having the distance between us, my feelings for Bella were becoming clearer. I knew she was different. Special. I was hesitant to put a word to it. I had thought I had something before with Lauren. I was quickly realizing that I didn't have a fucking thing before Bella.

We were scheduled to Skype tonight and I was hoping I could get her to have a little Skype-sex. Up to this point, I didn't want to test the boundaries too much. We'd only had an intimate relationship for a couple of days before I left. I almost wonder if I should've waited. It might have been easier to deal with the distance. As it was, whenever things were quiet, especially at night, all I could think about was Bella. Her body, her hair, her skin and mostly her lips. It was torture.

I had some time before going into the office, so I called Emmett.

"Hey Em, how's it going?"

"Good bro. How are things with you?" he asked.

We caught up for a few minutes then I asked the question that had been on my mind when I called him.

"How's Bella, Em?"

He paused a moment before answering. "Well, she says she's fine, but from what Rose told me, it's been rough on her. She just misses you. They've been out to lunch a few times and we went over to her place for dinner a couple of nights ago."

"Um, Edward? There's something else." I froze. An uneasy feeling was creeping up my spine. "She got another flower. It was on her windshield, the night of the dance she was chaperoning. Before you ask, yes, Jasper and I have looked at the footage. Didn't find a goddamned thing."

"What the fuck, Emmett. How come you didn't tell me when it happened?" I yelled.

"And what would you have done, Edward? You are thousands of miles away," He yelled back.

Fuck! He was right. There wasn't a damn thing I could do from here.

"Yeah. Look. I've got to go. I'm going to call Alice. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah, take it easy Ed."

"Bye Em."

I hung up and called Alice. She might be able to give me a better idea of how Bella was doing. I _knew_ she was holding back the last few times I talked to her.

"Hi Ali. How are you?" I asked tersely.

"Fine Edward. Is everything alright?" she asked tentatively.

"No. I just talked to Emmett and he said that Bella was having a tough time." I paused, waiting for her to speak. She didn't. "Tell me."

I heard Alice sigh. "I'm not so sure you want to hear this Edward." fuck.

"Just tell me Alice."

"I went over to drop off something that I ordered for you. When I got inside your apartment, Jake was there. I went into your bedroom and found Bella sleeping in your bed wearing one of your shirts. The floor was littered with tissues. I didn't have the heart to wake her, so I just left. When I called her later, she didn't mention it."

"Thanks Alice, I'll talk to you later," I barely got the words out.

Alice's words broke me. I couldn't get the image of Bella in my bed and crying, out of my head. Not to mention, whoever the fuck was leaving those damn flowers was out there, stalking her. What in the hell am I doing here? I should be home with Bella, not in this god forsaken desert. What kind of man does that to someone they love?

I brought my head up out of my hands as the realization hit me.

_Holy shit. I love her. I love Bella Swan._

*Cole Porter

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	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thank you to everyone reading/reviewing/favoriting! BIG hug to you all.**

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Ch 17

BPOV

The first couple of weeks after Edward left were hard. I kept myself as busy as possible to help pass the time. I tutored a couple of kids for an hour after school 2 days a week. I started working out again. I had belonged to a gym when I lived in Florida and decided it was time to go back. I spent a lot of time with Edward's family, too.

I had to fulfill my chaperone duties at the dance, which went fine. Until I went to leave. There was another rose on my windshield. I told Emmett about it who said that until more evidence was found, there wasn't anything that could be done.

"So I talked to Edward last night." I had made dinner for Alice and Rose.

"How's he doing?" Rose asked.

"I don't know. He seemed a little off. He kept asking me if I was okay and telling me how much he missed me." Alice made a gasping sound. When I looked at her, she had tears forming in her eyes.

"Alice? What's wrong?" I asked. She shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Sorry for what?"

"Oh god, Bella. I was over a few days ago to drop off that bedding set I ordered for Edward," I nodded, she had showed it to me when she ordered it. "and Jake was there. I followed him into the bedroom and saw you. And then, when Edward called and asked how you were, I told him about it. Shit! I am so sorry Bella."

"Damn it Alice," I sighed. "I have really been trying to stay happy and upbeat when I talk to him. This separation has been really hard on us both. But we've been coping. I have guarded my feelings trying to make this easier for him. I don't want him hurting or feeling guilty. How in the hell am I going to talk to him now?" I lowered my head. "I love him so much. I can't let him know what this is doing to me," I all but whispered.

"Excuse me?" Rose asked.

"Bella? Did you say…" Alice said.

"That she loved him." Rose finished.

I looked at both girls. "Don't say anything," I warned. "Rose, Alice. I can't tell him. Emmett already told him about the damn flower I got at the dance. He was pissed that I didn't say anything about it. He's been so worried about me, if I tell him, it'll send him over the edge."

"Whatever you want, Bella," Alice said looking shamefaced.

"No." Rose said. Alice and I both looked at her.

"What do you mean 'no'?" I asked Rose.

"You need to tell him. After all the shit that Lauren put him through and the guilt he feels from leaving you," Rose paused, shaking her head. "Emmett talked to him and he told me how worried and upset Edward is. No, Bella. You _need_ to tell him. " Rose sat back in her chair and waited for me to respond.

"You don't think it would make things worse?" I asked them both.

"Bella, I think you should consider what Rose said. It might actually make things a little better," Alice offered.

After the girls left, I cleaned up the dinner dishes listening to the music Edward gave me.

"I can't believe I said that," I said to myself. I hadn't really been thinking 'love' but after hearing what Alice said, it was almost like my defenses went up. Defense for Edward. It was all an automatic response. The thought of him hurting or feeling bad and being so far away just killed me. And then, it just slipped out.

I love Edward. I love Edward Cullen.

"Oh my god! I love Edward!" I yelled, jumping around. Jake got into it and started barking and jumping around.

Should I tell him? Maybe I should. I would want to know, wouldn't I?

I decided that when he Skyped me in the morning, I was going to tell him. I took Jake out and got ready for bed.

I texted Edward, telling him goodnight and that I couldn't wait to talk to him in the morning. He sent back a 'night babe' and I fell asleep with Edward's face dancing in my head.

I woke the next morning rushing around to get ready. I ran Jake out quickly and got back in so I wouldn't miss Edward. I waited, and waited and waited a little more, until I had to leave or I'd be late for school.

He didn't call.

EPOV

After I had made my realization that I loved Bella, I wanted to scream it from the rooftops. Until the picture of her crying in my bed came back to me.

I knew that she had been putting up a front for me. I understood it, but damn if it didn't make me feel worse. All I wanted was to have her in my arms. And there was no fucking way I could do that from here.

I had been seriously considering leaving Twilight. I couldn't come up with a good enough reason to be here. I did, however, have a very good reason for _not_ being here.

My phone rang, pulling me out of my head.

"Cullen," I answered.

"We have a situation. Meet me in the ready room. Now." I hung up and left my office.

The team and I pulled up to a house that normally would look unassuming. We knew, however, that it housed a big time gun runner who was holding a hostage. He wanted safe passage out of the country for their return. After some negotiating back and forth, I left the truck to enter the house.

The situation I found myself in next, was surreal. This should have been an easy trade. Textbook. I should have been able to go in, make the exchange and leave. How in the fuck I was sitting here with a gun pointed at my head?

BPOV

I had just gotten home from school when the intercom buzzed.

"Hello?"

"It's Alice." I buzzed her in, even though I knew she had the code to get in.

I opened the door and waited for her. When she walked in, she wasn't alone. Carlisle, Esme and Emmett were with her.

_Shit, something's wrong._

"What? Tell me what's wrong." The panic was rising inside me.

"Come sit with me Bella," Esme said with tears in her eyes.

"We got a call a little while ago," Carlisle started. "It seems that Edward was dealing with some kind of kidnapping situation and there was some trouble."

I couldn't hold back the tears. I was shaking and wondered what he wasn't telling me.

"What else? Carlisle, tell me please."

"He was taken hostage. That's all we know right now."

My world swirled around my head. My sight was blurred from the tears as I fell back against the sofa. Esme and I held each other for a while before I leaned back into the corner and closed my eyes.

"Bella. Bella wake up." I opened my eyes to see Emmett looming over me.

"What?" I quickly sat up.

"Someone from Twilight called and said that Edward made it out. They said we'd hear from him within the next 12 hours," he said. The relief clearly evident on his face and in his eyes.

"12 hours? But he's okay?" I asked.

"All they told me was that he made it out and was alive. They usually aren't very forthcoming with the information," Carlisle said wryly.

_Well, at least he's alive. _

I looked around the room. I must have been asleep for a while because it was dark outside. Everyone was here. Alice and Jasper were standing by the kitchen counter, Rose and Emmett had their heads together by the door and Esme was still sitting next to me.

"So, I guess we're going to need some food. It's going to be a long night," I said.

"I'll order pizza, unless someone has a better idea," Jasper offered. Everyone nodded and said 'fine' or 'whatever'.

"I need to take Jake out," I said, needing to be alone for a bit.

"I'll do it," Emmett offered. Before I could argue, he had Jake's leash in hand and was calling him.

"Bella, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I'm sure that Edward is fine," Carlisle told me. I think that was supposed to make me feel better.

I excused myself and went into my bedroom. I changed into sweats and one of Edward's t-shirts. I pulled it to my nose, it didn't smell like him anymore. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. I was remembering when Edward came in here and shut the water off for me. I shook my head trying to clear the memory from my mind. I needed to stay strong right now and I really didn't want to break down again with his family right outside my door.

Someone knocked on my door. "Bella, come quick. It's Edward," Alice said anxiously.

I ran out to the dining room where my laptop was. I heard his voice before I saw him. Esme heard me coming and moved so I could sit in front of the computer.

"Edward, oh my god, are you okay? Were you hurt? What's going on?" I knew I wasn't giving him any time to answer but it just kept spewing out. My hands were on the screen touching his face.

"Bella, calm down baby, I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. I'm so sorry you had to go through that. No one should have called in the first place. I had the situation under control in less than 10 minutes. Some newbie at the office got ahead of themselves and placed the call. I'm sorry."

"I'm just glad you're okay, Edward. I was so scared," I said as relief washed over me.

"Hey, can you all give us a minute please?" Edward asked.

Just as everyone started to clear out and go into the living room, Emmett came busting through the door with Jake. He apparently didn't know that I was speaking to Edward.

"Bella! The fucker left a note this time," he hollered. "Oh. Shit." he said much quieter as he got closer to me and saw Edward on the computer screen.

EPOV

I was pissed as hell. Yes, the whole day had been an exercise in fuckery. I went into the house where the kidnapper was and missed the 2nd guy. He jumped me and the next thing I knew I had a gun in my face. With a little talking and misdirection, I was able to subdue the fucker who had the gun pointed at me and quickly took charge of the situation.

When I came out Laurent met me at the truck.

"Edward, you're going to need to call home. The newbie at the office jumped the gun and called your family to let them know you'd been taken hostage," he told me.

"What? Fucking asshole. What the fuck were they thinking? Who was it? I want a name." Someone was going to lose their job over this.

"I'm not sure. Alex? Alec? Something like that," Laurent said.

I got back to the office and had to go through debriefing before I could call home. I knew someone would've told Bella. I was going to call her first. I had already missed the call I was supposed to make earlier. She was probably going out of her head.

I was right. I called her through Skype and wasn't too surprised to see my Mom instead of Bella. I heard Alice call her. What a sight to see. All the tension left me when I saw Bella's beautiful face in front of me. I could tell she had been crying. I am going to kill that fucker Alec when I get done here. Bella was talking a mile a minute, asking me how I was. I tried to calm her down, telling her that I was fine.

"Bella! The fucker left a note this time," I heard Emmett yell. I was immediately pissed. I was waiting for Emmett's face to show up when I heard him mutter "Oh shit."

"Emmett!" I yelled. "Get the fuck over here and tell me what's going on," I said.

"Edward, you alright bro?" he asked me, kneeling next to Bella's chair.

"Well, I was. Now tell me what you found," I said roughly. I was rapidly losing my patience.

"Well, first of all, I already put a call in. I'm going to have the security video looked over and have the area dusted for prints. They're on the way as we speak."

"Good. What did you find?" My voice was thick with tension.

"There was a flower taped on the outside of Bella's mailbox. I grabbed some gloves out of my car and pulled it off. There was a small note attached to it. It says 'Soon'," he sighed.

"Goddamn, motherfucking…Shit!shit!shit!" I couldn't stop the string of profanities that came from my mouth. I felt useless. Utterly useless. There wasn't a fucking thing I could do. I was pacing the floor in front of the computer. I heard Bella's voice breaking through the haze that had taken over my brain.

"Edward, please…" she pleaded. I looked at her and took a deep breath.

"Sorry baby," I said sitting back down. "It just infuriates me that I can't be there to protect you."

"Edward, the team is here. I'm going to go down and meet them. I'll call you when I know something," Emmett said.

"Yeah, thanks Em," I said.

"Bella? Baby are you okay?" I asked. She looked disillusioned.

"Yes Edward, I'm fine." I started to interrupt her. She always said she was 'fine' and I wasn't buying her bullshit this time. "No Edward. Just stop. What am I supposed to do? I live in what's probably the safest building in the city, your entire family is here, the school has cameras. I will be fine," she said and even through the computer I could see her eyes blazing.

"Damn it, Bella," I huffed. "Please hear me out," I implored her.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Keep your doors locked. Don't be alone. That means 24/7. I'll talk to my Dad and someone will stay with you. I just need you to be safe. Promise me." I waited for a moment. "Bella, promise me," I begged. _I love _you. I watched as tears rolled down her face. _this is killing me._

"Okay Edward. To all of it. I'll do it all," she sniffled. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good girl," I whispered to myself.

We talked for a while longer. I asked my Dad to set up some kind of schedule so that Bella always had someone with her. Everyone had to get involved, so it was a chaotic mess. I loved them for wanting to help, but fuck if I wasn't almost relieved when I logged off.

Bella's last words to me, as well as her sad face, haunted me.

She told me to be safe and to come home to her.

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	18. Chapter 18

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CH 18

EPOV

I tried to rest for a while but only ended up tossing and turning. I looked at the clock. 5:47 am. I got up and started making plans to quit Twilight and move back home. For good. The helplessness I was feeling was horrendous. I have never before felt like moving heaven and earth for someone. I sure as hell did now.

It would take a few days, maybe a week, to cut my ties to Twilight. I needed to get to my office to start getting the files ready for whomever would be taking my place. The first thing I was going to do was call Bella. She should be home from school by now.

"Edward," Bella sighed.

"Hi, baby. How are you holding up?" I asked her.

"I'm good. Jasper was my tail today. Since he's at school anyway, it just makes sense for him to baby sit me," she said dryly.

"Bella," I admonished.

"I know. I do. I'll behave," she chuckled. "Hey, why didn't you Skype me?"

"I wanted your voice right inside my head," I admitted. I took a deep breath. I was going to be lucky if she didn't hang up on me.

"Bella, what do you think about going and staying with your folks til Emmett can catch this creep?" _please say yes…_

"What? No Edward. I am not going to run away. Besides, what about my job? No. No." she said emphatically.

"Please? Won't you even think about it?" I begged.

"No, Edward. I can't do it," she sighed a ragged breath.

"Yeah. I had to try. I'll let it go for now, okay?" I said, trying to calm her down.

"Okay. Just don't ask me to leave, Edward. I can't," she whispered.

"Bella, what's going on? Talk to me baby," I pleaded.

"You're already so far away. I can't leave here, this place. It would take me even farther away. I just can't, Edward," she said, her voice cracking.

"Baby, is that why Alice found you in my bed?" I asked softly. "It's okay. I like the idea of you in my bed," I chuckled.

"Um, I was really missing you that day. I got home from school and just had this really intense need to be close to you." I could hear her crying. "I found, well-Jake found, a shirt of yours, from under the bed I think. Anyway, I picked it up and it still smelled like you. I put it on and got under the blankets. When I closed my eyes, it was…almost like you were here," she squeaked out.

I closed my eyes, trying really fucking hard to not cry myself. What in the fuck was I doing to her?

"Bella, I am so sorry. Maybe I should've just walked away. You wouldn't be dealing with this right now," I told her.

"What?" Bella yelled. "What did you just say to me Edward?" Fuck. Now I pissed her off.

"It was unfair of me to put you in this situation, Bella. That's all I meant," I sighed.

"You aren't my father, Edward. You don't get to make my choices. Don't you remember the talk we had? I told you that I knew this would be hard." Her voice softened. "I knew what I was getting into. I don't regret any of it," she paused. "Do you?" she asked quietly.

"Bella, I don't regret anything with you. Not a single goddamn thing," I growled. I took a deep breath and softened my tone. "I'm sorry if what I said made you think that I did. I just feel like a shit for putting you through this and not being there when you need me. God Bella, I lo…." My phone beeped and I looked at the id. It was Emmett. "Bella, baby, I've got another call and I have to take it. I'll call you back later tonight, okay? Stay safe."

"I will. Talk to you later. Bye Edward."

"Emmett? What did you find out?"

"The flower was different, Edward. I didn't want to say anything when I talked to you earlier. I'm not even sure what it is. I've got someone looking into it. The note is with forensics, they're looking for prints. The security video didn't show us a fucking thing." Emmett blew out his breath in a heavy sigh. "Whoever is doing this knows where the cameras are and knows how to avoid being seen. I think this just got a whole lot more serious."

"Ya think?" I said sarcastically.

My mind was racing, trying to figure out what the hell it all meant. _Bingo!_ I recalled a random bit of information I had picked up. All the hours I'd spent watching the Discovery Channel finally paid off.

"Emmett, we've been looking at this the wrong way. He's not just leaving Bella flowers. He's leaving her messages," I told him.

"I'm not following you," he said, obviously confused.

"Every flower has a meaning, Emmett. You know, red roses symbolize love?…..get it?"

"Motherfucker!" Emmett yelled in my ear.

"Yeah. I need you to get to Forks and talk to Bella's mother. Renee owns a flower shop and can probably identify the flowers and tell you what they mean."

"On it, bro," Emmett said eagerly.

"Hey Em? Don't tell her this is about Bella. Renee will panic and then Charlie will get involved. If that happens, she'd never forgive us." _she'd be pissed._

"Not a problem, Edward."

"Don't tell Bella you're going, either. I'm not asking you to lie, just don't bring it up. Am I correct that Bella didn't see this last flower?"

"No, she didn't. I won't say anything about any of it. I'm gonna get going, Ed."

"Em? Thanks man." I hoped he knew how much I appreciated everything he was doing.

"Yeah, I got your six, bro. Later." _Best brother ever_.

I got my shit together and sat down to write my resignation letter. I still had an hour or so before my supervisor was in the office. I heard Laurent kicking around the apartment and went out to talk to him.

"I'm resigning today," I told him as he shut the refrigerator door.

"I'm not surprised. The way you've been acting since you came back? I knew it was only a matter of time. It'll take a while, probably a week, before they'll let you go," he said matter-of-factly.

"I figured. I'm going to hit the shower then I'm going in," I said as I walked towards the hall.

"Want a lift?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Alright. Let's get ready," he said, following me down the hall.

Laurent and I were walking through the lobby at 8:02. "Good luck," he laughed as we parted ways.

The brass was not going to be happy about my resignation. Too fucking bad. I met with my supervisor and gave him an abbreviated version of my reasons for quitting. He wasn't happy, but he didn't fight me on it. I felt a whole lot better knowing that I was going home.

I organized a few things in my office before meeting up with Laurent for coffee in the cafeteria.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked.

"A lot better than I expected. It helped that I was scheduled to leave for the wedding in few weeks. Smith was going to cover for me again. He seemed to handle things pretty well when I went home a few weeks ago." I shrugged my shoulders. "It'll make the transition a lot smoother. Quicker, too," I smiled. I pulled my phone out and turned the ringer back on. I noticed that I had a missed call. Rose?

"Speaking of weddings. My lovely sister-in-law-to-be must be desperate. She never calls me." I called my voicemail. Huh. She didn't leave a message.

"I guess she wants to yell at me directly. She's the type to get all crazy as the big day gets closer," I laughed. I pulled up Rose's number and hit send.

"It's called 'bridezilla', mate. I just went through that shit last spring. My sister resembled one of those Velociraptors from 'Jurassic Park'!" he cackled.

I was still laughing when Rose answered. "Rosalie, if you're calling about my tux, I had my fitting 2 days before I left. I'll even…" I heard a broken sob. "Rose, what's wrong?" She was crying.

I felt like I had been sucked into a vortex. Everything around me disappeared. The air got thick and I broke out in a cold sweat. This wasn't about the wedding. I knew something was terribly wrong.

"Rose, what happened? Is it Emmett?" The only thing I could think of was that Emmett had gotten hurt or worse, in the line of duty…I couldn't think past that.

"No, not Em. Edward," she coughed and was crying hard and breathing heavily. "It's…Bella."

I couldn't make my voice work. All the air was gone from my lungs, my head was spinning. I dropped the phone, gasping for breath. Bella? I just talked to her a few hours ago. My stomach twisted and I stumbled to a nearby trashcan, emptying what little was in there.

I felt someone pounding on my back. I shook my head trying to clear my vision. I turned to look at the voice that was yelling at me.

"Edward! I need you to pull yourself together, man. You need to handle this!" He shoved my phone in my face.

Someone handed me some napkins and a bottle of water. I rinsed my mouth out and spit it into the trashcan. After wiping my mouth and taking a deep breath, I took the phone. I slid down the wall that was next to me and put the phone to my ear. I heard my father's voice.

"Dad?" I croaked, my throat raw from being sick. "Please. Tell me she's not gone," I sobbed.

BPOV

After I hung up with Edward, I sat back and went over what he said to me. Rose came and sat next to me.

"Don't get lost in your head." She nudged me with her shoulder. "Talk to me, tell me what got you all riled up," Rose said to me. I turned to look at her and sighed.

"Edward thinks that he should've just walked away from me." Rose's brow furrowed as she contemplated my words.

"Why did he say that?" she asked after a moment.

"He knows how much I've been missing him. I think he's seen through my façade. And with the flowers? My stress level is at an all time high. He said it was unfair of him to put me in this situation," I huffed. Rose snorted. "Rose, this isn't funny."

"No, Bella, it isn't. But, it is typical. For as long as I've known him and from what I've learned from Emmett, Edward has always been like that. He takes the weight of the world on his shoulders. He tries to solve everyone's problems and when he can't, he broods and blames himself."

"Yes, but we discussed this. We knew it wasn't going to be easy. Maybe this is too much for him. He probably sees me as some clingy girlfriend with too much baggage," I sighed. Rose shook her head.

"Do you really believe that? If you do, maybe he's right." Rose looked at me expectantly. "I'm sure that Edward did not mean it the way you took it. Both of you are under a lot of stress right now. Verbal filters are thin during stressful situations."

"I just wonder if I'm enough for him," I said quietly.

"That's bullshit." My eyes snapped to Rose's. "I know what you went through with your ex. _He_ was the one with the problem, not you. Let me ask you this, you love Edward, right?"

"Yes." I said it without even thinking about it.

"Then get off your emo ass and fight for your man. I know you've got it in you, Bella. You just need to stop letting these old fears sneak up and eat away at you." I leaned over and put my arms around Rose.

I thought about what she said. I wasn't going to let my insecurities get to me and make a decision that I would regret, just because I was feeling vulnerable.

"Thank you, Rose. I know you're right," I said as I hugged her.

"No problem. Whenever you need your ass kicked, you know who to call!" she laughed. Rose's phone chimed. "Speaking of.."

I left her to answer her phone and got some water. When I came back out, she was noticeably upset.

"Bella? I've got a problem down at the daycare center that I need to go handle. Alice is supposed to be here in 10 minutes." Rose hesitated. I knew she didn't want to leave me alone.

"Rose, just go." I waved my hand towards the door. "Christ, this is going to get old," I muttered. "It's 10 minutes, I'll be fine. I won't tell anyone. Really, it's okay," I said trying to convince her.

"Keep the door locked," she said pointing at me. I just rolled my eyes and nodded.

I layed down on the sofa and closed my eyes. Rose was right. I was over thinking things and all it was doing was complicating the situation. I let the memory of Edward's voice calm me. When he told me that he didn't regret anything, it sent a shiver through my body. Whenever he got all forceful and fierce, it made my body tingle. I let myself relax for a while as I thought about him. He'll be home soon! Granted, it's only for a few days, but I'll take whatever I can get.

My phone rang, startling me. I snatched it off the table in front of me.

"Hello?"

"Bella, I'm going to be late. Some ass driving a logging truck lost it and there's fucking trees all over the road!" Alice screeched. "I called Mom and she'll be there as soon as she can and stay until I can get there. Ask Rose if she can stay."

"That's okay, Alice. Um, Rose had to leave. There was a problem at the center," I explained. "Hold on, someone's at the door. It's probably Cindy, she's been out with Jake. She must have forgotten the key." I opened the door. It wasn't Cindy. _Mike Newton? What the hell?_

Mike pushed his way in and slammed the door shut and locked it. He was tall and solid looking. His blond hair was a mess and his eyes looked feral.

"What was that? Bella!" I heard Alice's voice from the phone that was still in my hand.

"Hello Miss Swan," Mike sneered. He had been drinking. I could smell it on him.

"What do you want, Mike? Why are you here?" I said loudly, hoping Alice would hear me. I surreptitiously looked around for something, anything I could use to defend myself.

"What do you want Mike?" he mocked. "YOU Miss Swan! I want you. Did you like the flowers I sent you?" he asked. He walked towards me and I matched him step for step backwards. "You think you're so smart. Do you even know what I was telling you? What the flowers meant?" he laughed.

"Mike, what is it that you want?" I asked again, trying to keep him talking. If I could make my way back to the front door, I could grab my bat.

"I…want…you," he said slowly. "I've seen you, ya know? With your boyfriend. The thing is, I saw you first. I've wanted you since the first day I saw you. I know he's gone, too. He left you. Alone." I sat my phone on the dining room table that was now directly behind me.

Two distinct memories came to me in a flash. The morning I felt someone's hand brush across my ass and a lunch out with the girls. It had been Mike that walked past me and apologized in the classroom. Mike was the busboy at the restaurant, too.

Mike took a step towards me and lost his footing. I didn't hesitate. I took off running, moving around the sofa heading towards the door. I grabbed the bat out of the umbrella stand. I felt Mike's hand on my back, ripping my shirt. I turned, swinging the bat. I only clipped his arm.

Mike grabbed me and threw me against the wall. My head snapped back, hitting the wall pretty hard. I screamed and dropped the bat. He stood inches away from my face, grinning at me.

"The white roses? They symbolize eternal love. Does your boyfriend love you? Because I do. I had to keep it a secret, though." He laughed as he reached up and touched me. "The roses also can mean secrecy and silence. Pretty good, huh?" he asked. "You never even suspected me."

I tried to get past him and he got a hold of me, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I kicked and squirmed, trying to break free.

"Stop fighting me!" he yelled, gripping me harder. He grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back. I felt his breath at my ear and shuddered. "The last one? It's called anemone. It symbolizes fading hope, or being forsaken. They can also mean…anticipation."

My mind raced, trying to understand what was happening. Then I recalled the note. It said 'soon'. _anticipation?_

My self defense training kicked in. I stomped on his foot, elbowed his stomach and slammed my head back into him. I missed my mark with that because I was too short to connect with his face. He let go and I turned, kicking him in the knee, effectively dropping him. Mike howled in pain.

I scrambled around looking for the bat. It had rolled away when I dropped it. I kneeled down to pick it up and Mike tackled me. I screamed and kicked and was able to get free enough to grab the bat and stand up. I swung it and this time, I hit him solidly in the ribs. Mike was the one screaming now.

"Stay down," I said, breathing heavily. I stood over him with the bat raised. My head was pounding and my vision was starting to blur. I heard Jake bark and turned my head towards the door.

The next thing I knew, I felt a sharp pain and burning sensation in my leg. I stumbled and fell. I heard Jake snarling and snapping. Someone screamed. I heard more voices and hoped that Mike wouldn't hurt anyone else. My last thought was about Edward.

I never got to tell him that I loved him.

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	19. Chapter 19

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Ch 19

EPOV

_"__Edward, you need to pull yourself together. Bella needs you."_

My head was spinning and my heart was pounding. There was a buzz in my ears making Laurent sound like a character on Charlie Brown.

"Alright people, clear out. Nothing to see here." Laurent's voice mumbled in my ears.

Bella. My Bella. Attacked. I gripped and pulled my hair. I should have been there. I should have insisted that she went to Forks. But I didn't. And now she was lying in a hospital.

"Edward? You okay?" he asked. I shook my head. I was definitely not okay. "Come on, let's get you off the floor," he said pulling me up. "What's going on?"

"I've got to get home. Now. Bella's been hurt. She was attacked. I need to get a flight out of here," I said, my voice shaking.

"Okay, I'll make some calls. Go to your office and call Smith. I'll meet you there."

I got to my office and gathered a few things as I called my replacement to let him know he would be starting early. Laurent showed up at my door 10 minutes later.

"I was able to secure you a ride home on a cargo plane headed for Maryland. It leaves in 45 minutes. We need to leave right now." I was already on my feet and moving towards the door.

"There's a commercial flight leaving about an hour after the cargo plane lands. You've got a short layover in Salt Lake City, then on to Seattle," Laurent said as we rode the elevator to the lobby.

"Thank you Laurent. I don't know how you managed to do all that so fast, but I really appreciate it," I told him.

"I called in a favor, no big deal." He shrugged his shoulders as we pulled out of the parking lot. "I'll pack up your things and send them to you," he offered.

The ride to the airport was a blur. Laurent had me there and ready to board the plane within an hour of speaking to my father.

"Laurent, if there is ever anything I can do for you, you got it, bro." We man-hugged and I got on the plane.

They had a jump seat for me between 2 pallets that were stacked about 4 feet high. It was fine by me because of the privacy it afforded. I had over 11 hours to sit here and mull over what my father had told me about Bella's attack.

"_Edward, Bella was attacked in her apartment. All we know for sure right now is that she was stabbed and lost a lot of blood. She has some kind of head injury, as well," my father said._

"_Oh god. Is she okay? Have you seen her?"_

"_She's alive and breathing on her own. They won't tell us any more than that because we aren't family. Your mother called the Swan's and they're on their way. Hopefully we'll know more when they get here."_

"_What the fuck happened? Why was she alone? Who was supposed to be with her?" I yelled the questions at my father. _

"_Edward! You need to calm down," he paused. "I don't know why she was alone. All I know is that Alice was on the phone with her when it happened. Apparently, someone knocked at her door. Alice heard them talking and the door slam shut. The voices got loud, threatening, she said. Your sister didn't want to break the connection, so she borrowed someone's phone and called the police," he said._

"_Christ…" I muttered. I should have been there__._

"_Your mother got there just before the ambulance. She wasn't able to find out much, but you'll be happy to know that Bella put up quite a fight."_

_I choked back a sob. All I could see was a broken and bloody Bella, fighting whoever this person was. I felt like I would be sick again. My mind flashed to our first chopsticks lesson, bringing the tears to my eyes._

"_Where was the damn dog?" He should have been able to help subdue the fucker._

"_Your mother said that a young girl had been walking him. When she got to the apartment, the dog was growling. She unlocked and opened the door and Jake ran in snarling. The dog bit his leg then attached himself to the kid's neck, keeping him on the floor. That's when your mother got there, and the police and ambulance soon after."_

"_Is there anything else you can tell me?" I asked__._

"_No. I'm sorry."_

"_Dad? Is she going to be okay?" my voice cracked._

_I heard my father sigh then clear his throat. "I really don't know, son."_

I put my ear buds in and leaned my head back against some straps that were hanging down from a hook above me. Closing my eyes, I let the music I recorded for Bella wash over me. I was having a hard time keeping my composure. The flood gates opened and I started to sob uncontrollably.

I had never been much of a praying man, but at that moment, it was the only thing I could think of to do.

"God, please let her be okay. Please, please let her be okay," I begged.

If only I would have stayed, she would be fine right now. I should have insisted on Emmett looking further into what was going on. I should have made her go to Forks.

I sat there with my eyes closed and fell into a dream-like state. I wasn't asleep exactly. I could hear the plane's engines and some of the crew talking.

Images started running through my mind. I saw Bella and I at the park, lying in the grass. I saw Bella's beautiful face light up with laughter. I could almost feel her lips on mine and the feel of her touch on my skin. I saw her face as I made love to her that first time and the feelings it evoked. Home. Peace. Perfect…Everything.

A new round of sobs racked my body as I recalled the last time I spoke with her. It was just hours ago. I almost told her that I loved her. I didn't, though. I regret it now.

"God, please let me have the chance to tell her that I love her," I whispered another prayer.

The plane ride to the states was long and excruciating. As soon as I could, I exited the plane and ran into the terminal. I found the gate to my connecting flight and found an empty corner to wait in. I called my Dad, but he didn't pick up. I then called my mom, my sister, Emmett-no one picked up their phone.

"Shit," I hissed. Had something happened to her? I shook my head no. I couldn't go there. She had to be okay. She had to.

I called ahead to Seattle so there would be a car waiting for me. They called for my flight to board and I rushed to get on. 4 hours to Salt Lake City, then another 2 and I'll be home. Almost. I won't be home until I get to Bella.

I fought through the crowd and made the flight to Seattle with only minutes to spare. As soon as I got there. I shoved my way to the head of the line at the rental car counter. I found the car and sped out of the parking lot. 40 minutes later, I was pulling into Port Angeles General.

"I need to know Isabella Swan's room number," I asked frantically. I rode the elevator to her floor and started looking for her room. I saw my Mother standing in the hallway.

"Edward," she called out, rushing to me and hugging me to her. The others must have heard her and soon I was surrounded.

"Where is she?" I asked. I watched as my Mother took in my disheveled appearance.

"They've taken her down to radiology," I heard from behind me. I turned to see Renee and a pissed looking Chief Swan.

"How is she? What's going on. Somebody tell me something!" I yelled. I heard Alice sob.

"Son, sit down," my Father told me.

"She had surgery to repair her femoral artery that was tore when she was stabbed. She's having a CAT scan right now because of the concussion. She's been unconscious since she was brought in," Charlie said quietly.

I swallowed hard and looked around at the faces surrounding me. I saw fear and worry and guilt, all reflecting what I was feeling.

"The doctors said that she should wake up within a day or two, that her body needs time to process the trauma," Renee added.

Movement at the end of the hall caught my attention. I was up and at Bella's side before they rolled her into her room. I stood back as the nurses situated the bed and made sure all the monitors were hooked up. As soon as they left, I walked up to the bed.

"Bella? Baby? I'm here," I said. I brushed her hair away from her face and leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead. "I need you to open your eyes, sweet girl. I need to see your eyes. I need to know that you're okay," I whispered. I pressed my lips to hers.

"Edward?" I turned to see Rose standing in the doorway. Emmett was behind her, his hand on her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she cried. "This is my fault. I…I left her."

My brows furrowed and I felt the scowl spread across my face. "What the hell happened?" I said, trying to keep my voice low.

Rose explained about the call she received and what happened with Alice. Logically speaking, I could understand the situation. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any reasoning right now. I blew out an exasperated breath and shook my head. I turned back to Bella and held her hand. Just touching her brought me some calmness.

I heard a chair scrape across the floor and saw Alice pushing it over for me. She had been crying, her eyes were red and puffy.

"What did you hear when you were on the phone, Alice?" I sat in the chair and scooted as close to Bella as I could.

She started with what I already knew. "Then I heard Bella scream and a loud thump. It sounded like something fell. Oh, Edward, it was awful. Hearing all of that and not being able to do anything," she sobbed.

Hearing Alice recount what happened caused my whole body to shudder. "Would you all mind leaving? Please." I wasn't meaning to sound like a dick, but I couldn't listen to any more. I wanted to be alone with Bella.

"Baby, I'm so sorry I left you. I won't ever leave you again. Please wake up," I cried. I layed my head gently on Bella's stomach, needing to be close to her.

I must have fallen asleep, because I opened my eyes hearing voices behind me. I sat up, stretching the kinks out from the odd position I slept in.

"Edward, when did you eat last?" Renee asked.

I looked out the window, realizing that I had no idea what time it was. I crossed so many time lines to get here but my body was still on Cairo time.

"I have no idea," I answered her.

"Come on, let's go to the cafeteria," Emmett said.

I shook my head before he finished speaking. "I'm not leaving Bella."

"I'll go get him something," my Mother said. Renee went with her.

"Who was it, Emmett? And how in the fuck did he get in the building?"

"Uh, the kid's name is Michael Newton. He's in one of her classes," he said. "We think that he snuck in behind someone else who was going into the building."

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked, because I'll kill the little motherfucker.

"He's 18, so after he's released from the hospital, he'll be charged with aggravated assault. At the very least," Charlie said roughly.

"So why is he in here?" I knew that Jake bit him and Dad did say that Bella put up a fight.

"They found Bella's bat on the floor. It looks like she broke some of his ribs and fractured his elbow," Charlie proudly stated.

"That's my girl," I whispered into her hand as I lifted it to my lips. I kissed across her fingers and held her hand tightly to my face.

"Where's Jake?" I owed that dog a steak.

"Jasper took him home," Emmett informed me.

Renee and my Mother returned with a tray full of food and coffee. I knew I had to eat, I just didn't have an appetite. I took a few bites of the sandwich and drank the coffee. They both seemed to be appeased. Everyone decided to go home, at least for a while.

The hospital staff fought me, but I was not going to leave Bella's side. They finally left me alone. I spent the night sitting in the dark talking to Bella and holding her hand.

"I've been wanting to ask why you set that pie aside for me. Do you remember? At the party? I was so touched by that. I'm not used to anyone doing stuff like that for me. Well, Mom and Alice, but not by someone who wasn't related to me," I chuckled.

"As soon as you get out of here, we're having another chopsticks lesson. And when your leg is healed, I'll take you out on the bike again. We need to go shopping for a helmet and a jacket." I smiled, remembering how much Bella liked riding my motorcycle.

"Baby, give me a sign. Squeeze my hand or something. Please, you've got to wake up." I looked around, making sure I was alone. It was ridiculous, everyone left hours ago.

"Bella? I should have told you this before now. I don't know how or when it happened but, I love you. I can't do this without you. I really need you to wake up," I cried, again holding her hand to my forehead. "I promise that I'll never leave you again."

I heard someone clear their throat. Looking up, I saw Bella's father in the doorway. _fuuck. _This wasn't going to be good.

"You realize that this had nothing to do with you leaving, right? It has everything to do with you leaving and not saying anything to the people who could have protected her," Charlie said.

"She didn't want to worry you and Renee. I was just trying to respect her wishes. That's why I got my family to look after her."

"I am her father! I had a right to know! If she would have died, I would have…"

"There's no need for threats, Charlie. If Bella would have died, I would have, too. Trust me, now more than ever, I know I was wrong. I should have pushed harder. The last time we talked, just hours before the attack, I begged her to go stay with you in Forks. She wouldn't even listen. She said she couldn't leave," I explained.

"So you should have called me and I would have forced the issue! I know that my daughter is stubborn to a fault, but Jesus! She could have died!" he yelled.

"What do you want from me Charlie? Do you want my blood? For me to take her place in this bed? FUCK! Don't you think that I would if I could? Don't you think that I've spent the last 18 hours going over and over all the mistakes I've made? I. Love. Her. This is the last thing I wanted to have happen! I gave up my job to come back and take care of her! If she dies, I die Charlie. There is no me without her!" I yelled back at him.

"What in the hell is going on in here?" I heard my father say. "I could hear you all the way down the hall!"

"Nothing. Your boy and I were just coming to an understanding," Charlie told my Dad. He turned and looked at me for a moment. "I'm entrusting you with her from now on. But, the next time _anything_ like this happens, you WILL call," he said pointing his finger at me. All I could do was nod in agreement.

"What's going on?" We all turned to see Bella looking at us, trying to sit up.

Charlie and I ran to her bed. I stepped aside slightly to let him go to her first.

"Hey Bells. It's good to see you awake. Uh, I think I'll let your man here fill you in. I'm going to run to the hotel and get your Mom. We'll be back soon," he told her. He bent and kissed her forehead before looking at me once then leaving.

"Bella?" I got to her and leaned over the bed. I kissed her firmly, but gently. "Oh Bella. Baby, I'm so glad you're awake. Are you alright? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?" I asked, tears running unabashedly down my face.

"Water," she croaked. I quickly found a cup and filled it. I held it to her lips and let her sip some.

"What was going on with you and my Dad?" she asked again.

"Um, we were coming to an understanding," I chuckled, using Charlie's words.

"About what?" she pressed.

"Well, about you, my dear," I smirked.

"Edward, what the hell? Tell me already," she huffed. I had to laugh. She looked so cute when she was mad.

"I was just explaining to your Dad the importance you have in my life." I smoothed my hand over her hair. "I realized something in the few weeks that I've been gone." I kissed her hand and looked at her for a moment. "I'm in love with you, Bella."

Tears started to run down Bella's face. "Oh Edward." She brought my hand to her lips, kissing across my knuckles. "I…I love you, too."

I took her face in my hands and kissed her whispering I love you's against her lips.

Bella gingerly moved over and patted the space next to her. "Baby, don't hurt yourself," I chastised.

"Come lay next to me, Edward," she asked. I got into the bed with her, thankful her right side was uninjured. We held each other as best we could. Bella soon fell asleep against my shoulder.

The situation sucked, but I couldn't help but feel wonderful. Bella loves me. I must have fallen asleep because I awoke to Bella's fingers running through my hair.

"Hey baby, how long have you been awake? How are you feeling?" I asked, sitting up so I could see her face.

"Not long. My leg is throbbing and I have a headache," she said. I went to grab the call button. "Wait. Not yet. Can you tell me what happened?" she asked.

"What's the last thing you remember, sweetheart?" I asked her quietly.

Her forehead scrunched up as she thought. "Mike," she whispered. "Mike Newton. It was him. He was the one who sent the flowers, Edward. A _student_ of mine," she said softly.

"It's okay Bella, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. No one will ever touch you again." I kissed her tenderly. Bella reacted to the kiss by pulling me in closer.

"I really missed you Edward." she mumbled against my lips.

"I really missed you, too baby, I'm not going anywhere," I kissed her again before continuing.

"I don't really know a lot about what happened. I was waiting for you to fill in the blanks. You have a concussion and, uh, they had to operate on you to repair the femoral artery in your left leg. He stabbed you and you lost a lot of blood," I said quietly.

"I remember hitting my head on the wall. Oh! I was on the phone with Alice. I don't remember anything else, though. Who found me?" she asked as I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"Well, Alice called the police, she heard a lot of what happened. Mom and Cindy actually found you. Cindy was bringing Jake back and as soon as she unlocked the door, he attacked Mike." I took a deep breath. "My Mom got there right after and used her purse strap as a tourniquet and her shirt to put pressure on the wound," I choked out.

"She saved me," Bella realized.

"Yes she did. And I'll spend the rest of my life being grateful to her for that," I paused. "Bella?" We pulled our heads back to look into each other's eyes. "I almost lost you. It would have killed me. I…I love you so much, Bella."

Bella's eyes filled with tears, but there was a burning intensity to them, one I had seen before.

"Oh Edward," she sighed. "I love you too."

The smile that broke out over my face almost hurt as I leaned in to kiss her. Her hands found my face and held me to her. We stayed that way until the erratically beeping monitors brought a nurse to her room.

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**A/N: Well? I hope it lived up to your expectations. Let me know!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I want to thank all of who have read/reviewed/rec'd/alerted/favorited my story! Big hug to you all!**

**I would like to recommend a few...**

**xXkiwicullenXx:Lives in Chaos-sexy and fun!**

**QueenofHearts Madwriter: Eventide-Loving this fic!**

**swimom7: Witch; Family- both are just...lovely. All love, zero angst. **

**rtgirl: Cotton Creek- her Bamaward is to die for. No angst, just sweet southern lovin'.**

**Thanks to SM for Twilight-she still owns it, btw.**

**Rated M for a reason. *Lemon Alert***

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CH 20

BPOV

I would have thought I'd been dreaming if Edward wasn't lying here with me. If it weren't for my leg and the machines I was hooked up to, I would have been dancing around the room. He loves me!

I would be content, though with Edward's head lying on my chest. I could feel his breath against my breast through the thin fabric of the hospital gown. I ran my fingers through his hair. The throbbing in my leg brought me back to the reality of the situation, though.

My door opened and my Mother stood in the doorway looking at Edward and I.

"Hi Mom," I said quietly, not wanting to wake Edward.

She came to the left side of my bed and kissed me.

"Oh Bella, I'm so happy you're awake. How are you feeling?" she half whispered.

"Fantastic. But my leg is hurting." Mom gave me a funny look, then smiled.

"Hmm. I don't have to wonder why you're feeling fantastic." She looked at Edward and gave me a smirk. "The police want to talk to you. Your Dad is out there right now, stalling them with Emmett's help."

"Okay. Give me a few minutes?" I asked.

"Sure honey. I'll be right outside the door."

"Edward," I said softly. "You need to wake up." I tousled his hair. He slowly lifted his head and smiled sleepily at me. "Hi."

"Hi," he said kissing me.

"How'd you sleep? It couldn't have been very comfortable," I laughed.

"Actually, it was the best sleep I've had in over a month." _Damn I missed this man._

"I love you," I whispered against his lips.

"I love you," he said, kissing me. He moved to get up and I missed the feeling of him laying on me.

"Edward, the police are here and want to talk to me." He got off the bed and stretched. Our eyes went to the door as it opened.

"Good Morning," Alice sang as she came through the door. She walked to the side of my bed and wrapped me in a hug. "I was so worried about you," she whispered in my ear. "I brought you guys some breakfast." She held up a bag. "They want you to eat before the police come in."

Edward cleaned up and changed into the clothes that Alice had thought to bring. We ate the sandwiches she brought and a nurse came in to check on me. My parents, Emmett and Edward's parents came in after she left, with the detective following behind them.

"Miss Swan, I'm Detective Smith with the Port Angeles Police Department. I need to ask you a few questions about the attack against you." He looked around the room.

"You may want some privacy."

"No. Everyone that is here is family and they can stay." Edward squeezed my hand and sat next to me on the bed.

"We understand that Michael Newton is a student of yours?" the detective asked.

"Yes. He's in my 3rd hour Advanced English class," I told him.

"Did he ever give you any indication of his, uh, interest in you?"

"Not really. There was this one time that someone, and I can't be 100% sure that it was him, uh, brushed their hand against my, um, backside at the start of class one day," I said nervously. I felt Edward stiffen and look at me. I had never told anyone it had happened. "Other than that, nothing."

"Okay." He wrote something in his notebook. "Can you walk us through the night you were attacked?" he asked.

I told them everything I could remember. As I talked about it, most of it came back to me. When I got to any part where Mike hurt me, Edward would shift a little and hold me tighter. I knew he was doing everything he could to hold his temper at bay.

"Okay, I think that about does it. If there is anything else you remember, please give me a call." Detective Smith handed me his card. "Thank you," he said before leaving.

As soon as he cleared the door, Edward had me wrapped tightly in his arms.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here," he sobbed. "I'm so fucking sorry you had to go through that."

"Edward? Look at me." He pulled back so I could see his eyes. They were shimmering with tears. "I'm fine. Please don't do this to yourself. You're here now. I love you." I heard a gasp and looked over Edward's shoulder to see Alice cover her mouth, tears in her own eyes.

"You're right. I am here now and I won't leave you again. Ever. Bella, I quit Twilight," he said. I looked up at him, surprised.

"What? Edward, you don't have to quit your job for me," I said. Everyone in the room had the same look of surprise on their faces.

"I didn't quit my job for you. I did it for me. For us. I was barely surviving being so far away from you," he whispered in my ear. "I've actually been thinking about it for a while now. I wrote my resignation letter after I spoke to you the last time, and turned it in just before I spoke to Rosalie."

A huge smile broke across my face that quickly disappeared when Edward's lips crashed against mine. I moaned softly and kissed him back with everything I had. Emmett's nervous cough broke us apart. We had forgotten there was a room full of people watching us.

"So Belly, when they letting you out of here?" Emmett asked me.

"I'm not sure, Em. The doctor is supposed to be in soon. I guess I'll find out then." I was a little hesitant to go home. I wasn't quite ready to be in my apartment yet.

"What is it, baby?" Edward whispered in my ear. He must have sensed the anguish I was feeling, or saw it on my face.

"Has anyone cleaned up at my place?" I knew there had to be blood all over the carpet. I really didn't want to see that.

"Oh. No, I don't think so," Edward answered, his brows furrowed.

"The department has a company we use for that kind of thing. I'll give them a call and have it taken care of." Emmett pulled out his phone and went into the hallway.

The doctor came in and checked my leg. Their main concern at this point was infection and that I not tear the stitches. She said that it looked good and as long as I had someone to help me, I could go home in the morning.

Edward was a smiling fool after the doctor left.

"What?" I asked, not getting the joke.

"I'm just happy that I get to take care of you. I'm going to wait on you and pamper you and do whatever I have to do to get you back to 100 percent."

"Who said that I was going to let you take care of me?" I asked, joking. By the look on his face, it was too soon to be teasing him. He was positively crestfallen.

"Oh, Edward. I'm sorry. I was only kidding around. There isn't anyone I'd rather have take care of me. Come here." He still looked like someone kicked his puppy. He made it over to the side of the bed where I was sitting. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him down to me. I kissed the side of his mouth and whispered 'I'm sorry'. He very slowly and very gently kissed my lips. I could feel him trembling. I pulled him closer to me and held him tightly.

"I don't think you understand the depths of my feelings for you, Bella. I don't think I'd survive without you. I don't ever want to be without you again," he said, making me feel like pond scum for teasing him.

"I think I'm beginning to, Edward. And I don't want to ever be without you, either. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"Okay, just don't let it happen again," he teased, lightening the mood considerably.

I snickered and shook my head. I didn't doubt anything he said but, men can be such babies sometimes!

Everyone had made it in to see me before the day was through. My parents came in first. Now that they knew that I was fine, they both needed to get back to Forks.

"Call us when you get home and settled, honey," my Mom said. "Goodbye, Edward. Take good care of our girl."

"Oh, he will," Dad said, giving Edward a pointed look. Edward nodded and shook my Dad's hand. My Mom hugged him and they left for home. What the hell was that was all about?

When Alice came to visit, I suggested that Edward go home and rest or take a shower. Something. Anything. He'd been here for 2 days, barely leaving my side.

"Good idea. You can pick up some clothes for Bella to wear home tomorrow," Alice suggested.

Having a particular purpose convinced Edward to leave. I knew he was concerned and that he missed me, but he needed to get out of here for a while.

"So, Bella. Are you really doing alright?" Alice asked me.

"Yes, I think so. I think it has a lot to do with your brother, though. I can't believe he quit his job." I was still in awe that he did that.

"Edward has finally gotten his priorities straight. Well, that's not exactly true. He _has_ priorities now, a reason to stay home." Alice smiled at me. "Oh Bella, I'm so happy for you both!" She pulled me into a tight embrace.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Jasper said as he walked in. Alice jumped up and pecked him on the cheek.

"Hi Jasper. How's Jake?" I asked. I couldn't wait to get home and see that dog. After I heard what he had done to Mike, I figured I owed him a steak or something.

"He's doing just fine. He likes our backyard." Jasper and Alice had a fenced in back yard, so he got to run around without his leash on.

"How is everything at school?" I was worried how the news would affect everyone there.

"We made sure that the students knew that the counselors were available for anyone who may be having difficulties processing the news. We're installing more cameras, just in case anything like this happens again. And the police came in and questioned Mike's friends. Oh, I don't want you worrying about rushing back, either. Take your time and heal before thinking about getting back," Jasper said smiling warmly.

Rosalie and Emmett showed up after Jasper and Alice left, bringing me some magazines and deli sandwiches for Edward and I.

A nurse came in and shooed Em and Rose out. He wanted me to practice walking around with the crutches he brought with him. After that I layed down and fell asleep. When I woke up a couple of hours later, Edward was back.

"Nice nap?" he asked, kissing my forehead.

"Mmhmm," I said pulling him close to me.

"I was thinking that you should just stay at my place. At least until you're back on your feet again. What do you think?" He asked as he placed small kisses on my cheeks and nose.

"It would probably make more sense. I don't see why not. We were practically co-habitating before you left anyway. I just don't want to be a burden on you, Edward." I was still worried that he'd get sick of me.

"Isabella Swan," He pulled away from me and stood up. "the only thing that is going to bother me is if you keep saying shit like that. I meant it wholeheartedly when I told you that I didn't want to be apart from you. Hell, it would be fine by me if you just moved in!" Edward said. His irritation was obvious. Probably just as obvious as my surprise.

"You want me to move in with you?" I asked, making sure I heard him right.

"I'd like nothing more," he said softly, surrounding me again with his arms. "Well, that's not exactly true, but it will do for now," he said ambiguously.

"Let me recuperate first, then we'll talk about it, okay?" I asked. I really liked the idea and thought for a moment that I deserved to be a little selfish right now.

"Deal. I'm going to kiss you now." As if I'd complain. Smirking, eye sparkling, panty-poofing man.

Edward leaned over me and stared into my eyes before placing his warm lips on mine. The tip of his tongue teased my bottom lip until I opened my mouth for him. He moved slightly and deepened our kiss. Our tongues caressed and moved together. Our lips molding with each other's. If I didn't have to breathe, I could kiss him forever.

"Edward, I want you," I said breathlessly. Edward's eyes were smoldering.

"Baby, I want you too. Sweet, beautiful girl." He kissed me again. "But I'm not going to risk you getting hurt. We're going to have to wait until your leg heals." I knew he was right. The man was always right and it infuriated me to no end.

EPOV

The woman really had no idea. No idea how important she was, how special she was, how much I loved her, how much I wanted her. I wouldn't jeopardize her recovery, though.

The doctors let her go home the following morning. I got her home and set up on the sofa for the time being. Jake was already there and we spent some time praising him.

"I brought your laptop and phone. Other than clothes, is there anything else you want me to go over and get?" I asked Bella.

"My shower stuff. Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothbrush. I really want to take a shower," she sighed.

"Be right back," I told her.

I went over to Bella's, sidestepping the blood and trying my damnedest not to look at it or the indentation in the drywall. It just pissed me off. What I wouldn't give to get my hands on that little fucker.

I grabbed a bag I saw in the bedroom and filled it with Bella's toiletries. I put her lotion in the bag as well. I saw her robe hanging on the door and took that, too. When I got back to my place, Bella was up moving around on her crutches.

"What are you doing?" I asked, surprised to see her up and around.

"I've been laying or sitting down for too long. I need to move around. Um…I think I'm going to need help in the shower, though. The doctor said that water wouldn't hurt my stitches, but I don't know if I can stand that long." Bella was blushing.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm here. I'm an expert in taking showers," I said smugly. I may not be willing to make love to Bella yet, but the thought of having my hands on her naked body was more than enticing.

When we got to the bathroom. I turned the shower on to warm it up. I undressed myself and then Bella. I got her into the shower and put her under the hot water.

"Ooh, that feels good," she moaned as the water coursed over her body. I watched the water drip from her breasts and had to stifle a moan of my own. I bent my head down and kissed her chest, just above her breasts.

After I washed Bella's hair, I sat her on the bench and washed my own and quickly washed my body. I could feel Bella's eyes on me the whole time.

"Stand up baby," I said, helping her back under the water. I poured some of her body wash in my hand and started to wash her. This was going to be harder than I thought. Soapy, wet Bella was a sight to behold, bruises and all. I ran my hands over her body, washing her gently and paying special attention to her perfect breasts.

"Edward," Bella said breathlessly, "please touch me." _fucking hell_. How was I supposed to deny her? I rinsed the soap from her body and put her back on the bench.

I kneeled in front of her and leaned in to kiss her. I reached up and cupped her breasts, running my thumbs over her nipples. I found one with my mouth and let that hand fall to her lap. Bella scooted forward to give me access to her sex.

Stroking gently on the outside of her folds, Bella moaned and kissed my face. My fingers parted her lower lips and found her to be dripping wet.

"Shit Bella," I hissed. "baby, I've got to taste you." I moved her leg so no pressure would be put on it and wrapped my hands under her ass and lifting her slightly. Bella grabbed on to my shoulders.

I nuzzled her with my nose and then licked from the bottom of her slit to the top. My tongue found her clit and swirled around it. Bella was moaning and digging her nails into my skin.

"Jesus Bella, you taste so good," I moaned and went back for more. I pushed my tongue into her core and probed it in and out, fucking her with it. My dick was so hard, I felt like I was going to burst. I brought my hand down and stroked myself and pushed a finger into her, my tongue circling her clit.

"Ed-ward…oh yes…don't stop. So close baby," she whimpered. I felt Bella move down even more and wrap her hand around my cock right above my own hand. I let go and allowed her to take over. I moved my mouth to hers, giving her better access to stroke me.

"Bella, you feel so good," I whispered, taking her ear lobe into my mouth. "Ahh…" I moaned as she twisted her hand around my dick.

I pumped two fingers into her, increasing the pace a little. I felt her walls quivering and probed a little harder. Her hand squeezed me tighter as she increased her own pace.

"I love you, Bella," I whispered as I felt my orgasm approaching.

"Oh…Edward, I love you," Bella sighed into my mouth.

Soon we both came, crying out each other's names. I kissed her tenderly for a minute then brought her back under the spray of water. I rinsed us both and got us out and dried.

"What would you like to eat, baby?" I asked as I settled Bella back on the sofa. We decided on pizza and had it delivered.

We ate our pizza and watched TV. Bella fell asleep, her head in my lap. I ran my fingers through her hair thanking God that she wasn't taken from me.

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Take a moment and leave me your thoughts...**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: My thanks again to all who have supported my story in all the various ways. I'm still completely amazed that anyone actually likes it! :)**

** Kari, you so totally rock! Thanks for all the help and encouragement. **

** SM owns Twilight-thanks for letting me play.**

** Rated M for a reason**

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Ch 21

BPOV

Edward took excellent care of me. He made sure that I was comfortable and that I ate. He even made me get up to move around, exercising my leg. It took me a week before I could walk around without the aid of the crutches. Emmett and Rosalie's wedding was only 3 weeks away and I wanted to be able to walk without limping.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with the entire family, my parents even joined us. There was enough food to feed an army. I made sure to make a cherry pie for Edward. He _really_ appreciated it. I think my Mom even got over her awe of the Cullens. As I watched them, I could see Esme and my Mother becoming fast friends. They made plans to go out shopping on Black Friday. Thankfully, I had my leg as an excuse to not go with them. It was a wonderful and exhausting day.

xXxXx

On Monday, Edward took me to my final dress fitting and waited in the lounge area. My phone rang, the number came up as private. When I answered it, no one spoke.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" I asked. Nothing. I could tell that someone was on the other end, they just weren't speaking. I hung up. When we got out to the car, there was a black rose on my windshield. Edward went ballistic.

"Sonofamotherfuckingbitch…" he yelled, pulling out his phone to call Emmett.

"Emmett, is Mike still in jail?" he spat as soon as Em picked up.

Emmett told him that yes, Mike was still behind bars. Edward told him what we'd found. He told us to stay there, he was on his way to us.

I told them both about the phone call I got in the dressing room. Emmett took my phone and said he'd return it later.

"You're sure that someone was the other end?" he asked.

"Yeah. I could feel it." You know how you can just _tell_?

"If it happens again, give me the phone," Edward growled. Protective Edward was coming out. _Sexy_, protective Edward. I chastised myself for thinking such things given the situation we were in.

Emmett brought my phone back when he and Rose came over that evening.

"Our tech guys took some information off your phone. We'll have to wait and see what they come up with," he told us.

Over the next few days, I got more phone calls with the other party not speaking. I handed the phone to Edward each time. The latest one pushed him over the edge.

"Listen motherfucker, and listen good. When I get my hands on you, you are going to wish you were never born! STOP CALLING!" Edward hung up and threw my phone onto the sofa. He paced around a bit and muttered "Shit, I need to call Charlie."

"Why do you need to call my father?"

"I promised him." That was all he offered. He excused himself and went into the bedroom, I assume to call my Dad. I went down to get the mail and was shocked to find another flower on my mail box. I found the security guard and he stood there while I went to get Edward.

I waited outside the door to compose myself. I was shaking and on the verge of tears. When I went in, Edward was sitting in the chair with his head in his hands. He looked up when he heard me.

"What's wrong?" Apparently, I didn't do a very good job of masking my emotions.

"Um, I need you to come downstairs. I went to get the mail and found another rose on my mail box. It's just like the one we found on my car the last time. Black."

He was up and out the door, grabbing my hand, towing me behind him. We got down to the mail boxes and he had already put a call in to Emmett. He stepped aside so I couldn't hear the conversation.

He walked back over to me, wrapping his arms around me from behind. He kissed my head then told me about his conversation with his brother.

"Emmett is calling Detective Smith to get over here and check this out. I'm taking you upstairs where we are going to wait for Jasper. I want the doors locked and you to stay put until I get home. DO NOT let anyone in," he ordered.

"Where are you going?" I asked nervously.

"I'm going to pay Mike a little visit." _oh shit_.

We went back to Edward's apartment and waited for Jasper. He showed up about an hour later with Alice. Edward took the dog out, so none of us would have a reason to leave the apartment.

"I'm not sure how long I'll be. I'll see you later." He kissed me hard and left me breathless.

"Edward, just be careful." I had no idea what his intentions were, but knew that I also didn't want to.

"I always am. See you later, babe." Damn. I was glad that Mike was legally an adult. Edward was about to fuck his shit up.

EPOV

"Can you get me in to see him?" I asked Emmett. We both agreed that he had to know something about this, even if he wasn't involved.

"Yeah, I can get you a few minutes of face time. You'll have to go in alone so I can watch the door," he told me.

"Not a fucking problem." I was ready to beat somebody's ass over this. There was no fucking way anyone was going to even get close to Bella.

I took her back upstairs and waited for Jasper to get there. I think she was actually worried about me. I realized that I had never gone into detail about my training or skills. It wasn't exactly dinner conversation. I kissed Bella and left to meet Emmett at the police station.

Emmett had already brought Mike into a room and turned off all the recording devices.

"Try not to mess him up too badly. I really don't want to answer to the Captain about this," Emmett chuckled. He opened the door and closed it behind me.

Mike lifted his head and looked at me. I saw his eyes flicker in recognition, then widen.

"I take it that no introductions are needed?" I asked. He shook his head 'no'. The kid was already shaking in his shoes.

"Have you been sending flowers to my girlfriend again?" I asked harshly.

"No," he shook his head again. "Are you sure about that?" I asked, leaning over the table putting my face in his. The kid looked like he was scared shitless.

"Really? Because she's gotten some over the past week or so. She's had some interesting phone calls, as well." I moved and sat on the table so I was right next to him.

"I don't know anything about any of that, I swear!" He held his hands up in defense.

I stepped back for a minute. The kid seemed to be telling the truth. I kicked his chair, spinning it so he faced me. I put my foot on the seat of it, right in front of his balls.

"Did you mouth off to anyone about the shit you pulled? Maybe giving someone the idea?" His eyes bugged out of his head again. Yeah. He ran his mouth to someone. "Who?" I yelled.

"I…I can't tell you," he stammered, covering his junk.

"That's it! I've had enough of this shit!" I snatched him up by his shirt and put the fear of God into him. "You are going to tell me what you fucking know right the fuck now!" I pulled back and punched him in the gut. He doubled over and coughed.

"He'll kill me if I expose him," he cried.

"I'm going to kill you if you don't tell ME! I want a name!" I said shaking him by his collar. He needed some more convincing. I shoved him away from me and punched him in the face then kneed him in the stomach.

"Okay," he sputtered. "Okay. No more." He held his hand up in front of me while he tried to catch his breath.

I leaned down over him and growled. "Name."

"Marcus. I don't know his last name."

"How do you know him? Where can I find him?"

"I, um…sold drugs for him. At school. I usually meet him in this warehouse, down by the docks." He told me where it was and that he was usually surrounded by his guards.

"What does Marcus look like?" I at least needed a description of the fucker.

"He's tall with long brown hair. He slicks it back and sometimes has it in a pony tail."

I stood up to leave then turned and walked back to him. I pulled my arm back and punched him in the face. _That's for Bella._

"If you EVER even THINK about Bella again, I will end you. Got me?" Mike looked like he might cry. _Bitch_. His only answer was to nod his head furiously. "Good. I'm glad we have an understanding." I walked out the door.

"Well?" Emmett asked looking into the room as the door closed.

"I found out whose bringing the drugs into town," I said casually.

Emmett and I discussed what Mike had told me. We sat down at the local diner to figure out just what we were going to do about it. I pulled my phone out to call Bella.

"Hey baby. Em and I are getting a bite at the diner. Want me to bring something home for you?" I asked Bella.

"Um. Sure. How'd it go Edward?" Like I really thought I'd get out of this without telling her?

"It was fine. I'll tell you about it when I get home," I told her.

Bella told me what she wanted and what to pick up for Jasper and Alice. I told her I'd see her in a hour or so and got down to business with Emmett.

We agreed that we should stake out the warehouse to see what all was going on and to lay eyes on Marcus. I told Emmett that we'd have to include Charlie as he already knew what was going on. That was a difficult phone call to make.

Charlie was unsurprisingly not happy. I told him that when we came up with a plan that I would call him back. I did, and he insisted that he be involved. He said he'd take a few days off and help with the stake out. Now I just had to deal with Bella.

I got home to find Jasper sitting in the chair flipping through channels, Alice asleep on the sofa and Bella nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Bella?" I asked Jasper.

"In the bedroom. She's been in there for a while," he said. I sat the bag of food on the counter before going to see her.

The door was open a crack so I gently pushed it to open it a bit more. Bella was propped up against the headboard reading. She was wearing one of my t-shirts and I spied a sliver of black peeking out around her ass. She was twirling her hair with her fingers and apparently hadn't heard me. God she was beautiful. I stepped in and closed the door. Bella looked up in surprise.

"Edward. You're home." Bella layed the book down and sat up as I made it to the bedside. I gave her a short but passionate kiss.

"Are you hungry? I brought dinner, it's in the kitchen."

"Yes, but I want to know what happened tonight first." Of course she did.

"Well, I'm pretty sure we know whose behind the latest flower deliveries. We're going to need to investigate a little more to be positive."

"Who? Did Mike tell you?" she asked. I thought for a moment about what and how much I would tell her. _The truth._ Yeah, I wasn't going to lie to her.

I told her about Mike working for the drug dealing Marcus and that we had planned a stake out.

"Mike just told you all that?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well, he needed a little persuading, but yes, after that he was cooperative."

"Hmm." Bella looked me over, I assume checking for damage.

"There is one more thing. We're going to have a house guest." This was the part I was actually dreading. "Your Dad is coming here in the morning. He'll be staying with us for a few days."

"My Dad? Why is my Dad staying here?" she asked incredulously.

"Bella, I promised him that if anything like this ever happened again, I would let him know. When I called him earlier, he insisted that he was going to help. He's taking a few days off and he'll be here in the morning," I explained.

"Perfect. Now I'm disrupting my parent's lives, too."

"Bella, this is about your safety. We love you and this isn't something that you need to feel bad about. None of this is your fault. Besides, if this guy is behind this, then he needs to be taken down. He's dangerous and not just to you."

"When you put it like that, I guess you're right. Again," she said with a smirk.

"Come on, let's get you fed." I grabbed her hands and pulled her off the bed.

Charlie was knocking on our door at 8:45. I've been referring to my apartment as 'ours' for a while. Bella hadn't brought up the subject of her moving in permanently yet, but as soon as this shit was over, I was going to.

"Good Morning, Charlie," I said as he strode right in. He looked around the place with his keen, investigative eye. I'm sure he saw a few of Bella's personal belongings.

"Morning Edward," he said as he dropped his duffel on the floor.

"Um, Bella will be right out. She's just getting dressed." I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. Charlie's moustache twitched and I was quickly searching for something to distract him with.

"Want some coffee? Emmett will be here soon so we can start going over the plan."

"Sure. Coffee's good," he grumbled. Just then, Bella walked out of the bedroom.

"Hi Dad," she said as she hugged him. "Grab your bag and I'll show you to your room." Bella led him to the guest room.

Emmett showed up and Bella insisted on making breakfast for us. We sat in the dining room developing a plan.

Emmett wanted to get a picture of this Marcus guy and run it through the facial recognition program at the station. Charlie wanted to follow him to see if we could get him alone. We had to assume that he had a lot of protection.

"This is kind of my area of expertise, guys. Let's get over to the docks and do some surveillance and get some pictures. We'll go from there," I suggested.

My Mother came over to stay with Bella and we left for the docks. After watching the warehouse for a few hours, Emmett had gotten a few pictures. We were pretty sure we knew who Marcus was from Mike's description. Emmett left to run the pictures, while Charlie and I stayed.

"I'm not so sure I like the fact that you're shacking up with my daughter," Charlie said, breaking the silence. _shit_. I didn't plan on having this conversation so soon.

"Right now, it's purely for protection, Charlie. Bella's getting around on her own now, but I'm not letting her out of my sight. At least not without someone being with her." I respected Bella's father, but I wasn't going to just step back and defer to him.

"I did ask her to move in with me, though." Charlie glared at me. "And while I'm not going to ask her just yet, I am going to ask her to marry me. I would love to have your blessing," I said in all honesty.

He was silent for a few minutes, staring out the window of the car. I started sweating, waiting for him to reply.

"Well, Edward, I've never seen my daughter's eyes light up the way they do when she's around you. And while I don't believe that there is any man that's good enough for her, you come pretty damn close," he said, albeit, begrudgingly. "Besides, I kind of already gave you my blessing in the hospital."

"Thank you sir. I'll do my best to make her as happy as she can be."

Movement from the warehouse grabbed our attention. We saw a boat pull up and some of the men ran over to it. We watched as, who we believed to be Marcus, walk out of the building.

"Shit! He's going to leave," I hissed. Charlie and I looked at each other and reached for our doors. We decided that Marcus was _not _going to be leaving. We hatched a quick plan and got out of the car. I was glad that I brought my 9mm.

Charlie made like he was looking for his lost dog to distract the men by the boat, while I made my way behind some barrels that were close to the entrance of the building. Most of the guards were over by the docks, loading something on board. I took advantage of Marcus being relatively alone and snuck over closer to him. I was at the edge of the entrance, so I whipped around the corner so I was just inside the warehouse.

Marcus turned and walked towards what looked to be an office. He was alone, so I followed right behind him and closed the door behind me. Marcus turned quickly and froze when he saw my gun pointed at his head.

I gave the room a quick glance and as soon as I saw a bunch of black roses on the desk, I knew I had the right guy.

"Sit down motherfucker and keep your hands where I can see them." He sat behind the desk with his hands lying flat on top of it. "Why are you sending those to Bella Swan?" I asked him, pointing at the roses.

"That bitch owes me. It's her fault that I lost Mikey. I've just been playing with her to get under her skin," he sneered. "That is until I can get my hands on her."

I lost it and smacked him upside the head with my gun. He fell over and lunged for me. We wrestled around on the floor and I got myself clear. I kicked him in the chest and knocked the breath out of him. After punching him a few times in the face, I sat him up in the chair and looked for something to tie him up with.

My back was to the door when it slammed open. The last thing I remembered was everything going black.

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**A/N: Yeah, I'm probably going to hear about this... Thanks for reading! Leave me a review with your thoughts!**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thank you thank you! There's only 2 more chapters after this one. Hope you all like it. **

**Thanks to Kari-you've helped make this experience great. **

**Thanks to SM for letting me play around with her characters. **

**If you aren't an adult, you shouldn't be here. This story is rated M and this chapter contains a Lemon***

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Ch 22

EPOV

I opened my eyes and recognized that I was inside of an ambulance. I lifted my head and looked out through the open doors. My head was pounding. I saw a lot of police officers walking cuffed men out of the warehouse. Charlie and Emmett standing near the warehouse doors talking. I moved to get up off the gurney.

"Sir, you should stay still. You took quite a blow to the head," said the EMT sitting next to me.

"I'm fine. I've had worse." I got up and hopped out of the ambulance. Emmett saw me approaching and met me halfway.

"Bro, man, I'm sorry." Emmett laid his hand on my shoulder.

"For…?" I asked.

"One of the SWAT guys knocked you on the head with their baton. I didn't know you were in there! Why the fuck did you go in there alone?" he asked. Of course, I knew better, but Marcus had been alone.

"One of your guys hit me Em. Marcus was alone. I had it under control."

"Yeah, well…How are you feeling?"

"I've got a hell of a headache, but I'll be fine. So? Did you get him?"

"Yes. After I ran his pictures, we found out that he's wanted in 5 states. Swat was called and they took over. There was a bit of a scuffle down by the boat, but Charlie got it under control." Emmett smiled and clapped the Chief on the back.

"Good. So, do you need anything from me?" I was anxious to get home.

"Go home. If we need anything, I'll call." He didn't have to tell me twice.

"You coming, Charlie?" I asked.

"No, I need to stay for a while. I'll have your brother bring me back to your place later," he said.

I got home to a couple of anxious women. Both Bella and my Mom looked as if they were just sitting there waiting for me to get home.

"Edward, are you okay?" my Mom asked, squeezing me tightly.

"I'm fine. I've got a little bump on my head. Nothing a couple of aspirin won't fix."

Bella ran to the medicine cabinet and came back with a glass of water and the pills. She kissed my cheek and gently felt the back of my head.

"Did someone call you?" They seemed to know that I had been hurt.

"My Dad called. He said you were fine, but I was still worried," Bella said.

I told them about what had happened down at the docks and about Marcus and his apparently long rap sheet. A lot of what had gone down happened while I was knocked out so it wasn't a long conversation. After my Mom got all the information and saw that I was fine, she got herself ready to leave.

"Come to dinner on Sunday, you two," she said hugging us both before leaving.

"It's all over, baby." I wrapped my arms around Bella.

"Is it? That was awfully fast. I thought you said it would take a few days?" she said snuggling into my chest.

"Well, we saw the opportunity and took it. Everything just fell into place, so yes, it's over," I reassured Bella.

"Are you really alright Edward? Here, sit down. I'm going to get you some ice."

Bella was back with a towel wrapped around a plastic bag full of ice. She sat on the sofa. "Come here, lie down." She patted her thigh. I layed down with my head in her lap and she put the ice on my head. I felt her fingers dance over the skin on my arm.

I closed my eyes, relishing the feeling.

Charlie got back and Bella got up to make something for dinner. I tried to order something, but she wanted to cook. Charlie filled me in on what happened after I left. Marcus was most likely going to be extradited to another state, where he would be facing charges a lot more severe than if he stayed here.

Mike would be facing charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Unless they pulled his prints off the note he left, they wasn't any way to pin a stalking charge on him. That was fine, he was a stupid kid that got involved with the wrong person. He'd end up getting jail time, possibly anger management courses and probably some fines.

Bella made spaghetti, Charlie's favorite, and we sat down to eat. Jake pranced back and forth between us all looking for a handout. Seeing I still owed him a steak, I gave him a few pieces of spaghetti.

"So, Edward. What are you going to do with yourself now that you're out of a job?" Charlie asked. I finished chewing and cleared my throat. Was this guy going to ever cut me some slack?

"I'm not entirely sure yet. Truth be told, I don't really have to work," I said, shrugging my shoulders. Bella's wide eyes shot up to mine. Oops. I didn't tell her about that.

"And why is that, exactly?" Charlie's eyes narrowed as I squirmed in my seat. Here goes nothing.

"Well, Twilight paid very well," I answered. By the look on his face, he wanted more. "And I invested a lot of it and didn't fair too badly," I added.

"So what? You're going to just sit around and become a bum?" I watched as his moustache twitched. _Does he do that on purpose? _

"No sir. I've got a few ideas as to what I want to do." Shit, I hope his inquisition is over.

"Huh. Well, alright then." Charlie paused then spoke to Bella. "I'm going to take off in the morning. I've got to go down to the station and then I'll head home."

Bella and I cleaned up the dishes and went to bed. I finished in the bathroom and came out to see Bella sitting up on the bed, waiting for me.

"Edward, can we talk?" she asked nervously.

"Sure. About what?" I climbed onto the bed and wrapped my arms around her, laying my head on her chest.

"Well, It's occurred to me that there are some things that I don't know about you. I have a couple of questions." Bella ran her fingers through my hair.

"Hmm. You can always ask me anything, Bella. What do you want to know?"

"You told my Dad that you had a few ideas about what you wanted to do," she prompted.

"Why? Are you afraid I'm gonna be a bum?" I asked, digging my fingers into her sides and tickling her.

"No-o" she laughed. "I was just wondering."

"I'm thinking of opening my own security company. I'm not sure yet how extensive, but I was thinking home and business security. Maybe offer self defense classes. I thought I'd ask Emmett if he wanted to go in on it with me."

"That sounds good. It is your forte," Bella teased. "So, what? You know kung fu or something, too?"

"Or something. After I got into Twilight, we had to go through a number of training sessions in martial arts. Different kinds. Jujutsu, Taekwondo, Judo, just to name a few."

"Wow, you're even better than 007," she chuckled. "So, what about the money, Edward. How much do you really have, if you don't mind me asking?" Bella nervously picked at her nails.

"Well, I sugar-coated it a little for your Dad. I got a six-figure salary from Twilight and I did invest well. The only major thing I bought was my car. I was too busy to spend any of it and I didn't lose any in the divorce because of the pre-nup my Dad thankfully insisted I have." Bella was awfully quiet.

"You don't have a problem because I have money, do you?" I asked her.

"Not really, I guess. It'll just take some getting used to." She was quiet for a moment. "So you're a super rich, super spy?" Bella narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, I can get used to that," Bella laughed.

I told Bella a little more about my job. Or, former job. Without going into too much detail, I described some of the situations I had dealt with. I wanted her to understand that I really did know what I was doing. This security business would be child's play compared to what I was used to dealing with.

X~X~X

Bella was healed and ready to go back to work. She planned on going back on Monday. It would only be for a week. Emmett and Rose's wedding was a week away and Christmas vacation started after that. I tried to get her to just wait until after the first of the year, but she argued that she had already been gone too long.

I had noticed that more and more of her things had filtered over to my place. We hadn't discussed her moving in since I first brought it up in the hospital. Given all of her things that were here, I think we both just assumed it was inevitable. I decided to man up and say something.

We were cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when I found my balls and asked her about it.

"Babe? Why don't we get the rest of your stuff moved in this weekend? With you going back to work and the wedding next weekend and Christmas right after that…" I was rambling when Bella interrupted me. She grabbed my face in her hands and kissed me.

"Okay." God I loved this woman.

We spent the weekend moving her things in, rearranging furniture and deciding what would go either into storage or go to charity. Emmett helped me with the furniture and I asked him about working with me. He thought it was a great idea and said he'd get back to me.

I decided that we needed to celebrate the fact that Bella was officially moved in and now that her leg was better, I planned on taking full advantage.

I ran a hot bath and poured some vanilla scented bubbles under the running water. I went and found Bella going through a box.

"Come on," I said, taking her hand and led her to the tub. We undressed and got in, with me sitting behind her.

We took turns washing each other until I couldn't wait any longer. I took the cloth out of her hands and tossed it at the opposite end of the tub. My lips found her neck as my hands snaked around to cup her breasts. Her moan vibrated through me all the way to my cock.

"Edwaard," she whispered. I loved hearing her moan my name.

"What baby?"

"I need you. I need you to touch me," moaned Bella.

"I am touching you," I whispered, taking her ear lobe between my teeth. Bella hissed and called my name again. She put her hands on the sides of the tub and raised herself up. Bella then lowered herself down onto me, filling her and fulfilling me.

"Jesus, Bella…you feel so good," I groaned as she started to move. I was a little concerned about her leg, but it didn't seem to bother her. I put my hands on her hips, helping her move.

"Uh…I want..to turn around. I need…to see…your…face," she got out between thrusts. I stopped moving and helped her turn to face me. I captured her lips in mine as I guided her back down onto me.

"This is better," I whispered against her skin. I was lost in her and the fact that now I could do this whenever I wanted. "So good. I love you."

"I love you too, Edward."

I nudged Bella back some so I could kiss down her neck and chest. I sucked a nipple into my mouth and twirled my tongue around it. Letting it go, I did the same to the other. Bella's moans told me that she liked it.

"Edward, I'm so close. More. Please," she stuttered. I swirled a finger around her clit and felt her tighten around me. As soon as she calmed a little, I got us out of the water and carried her to our bed. I layed her down and entered her again.

"I'm not through with you yet, baby." She smiled at me as she wrapped her legs around my waist.

"Good," she said mischievously. She met my thrusts and soon I was close. I really wanted her to cum again. With me.

"Fuck, you feel so good wrapped around me and my cock. You're so tight and wet," I whispered in her ear. I felt my balls slap against her as I slammed into her. I sat back and brought her ass up to rest against my thighs, allowing me to hit a different spot inside her.

"Yes…ah…right there," Bella whimpered. I could feel her tighten around me again and fucked her a little harder. "Oooh. Edward," she screamed.

Bella screaming my name like that was all it took. I came hard and collapsed against her as we fell to the bed.

"God, Edward. I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

BPOV

Before we knew it, Rose and Emmett's wedding day had arrived. The church was beautifully decorated and we were minutes away from the start. I was walking with Jasper, Alice was walking with Edward. I couldn't help but wish that it was Edward and I getting married today.

After the vows were spoken and we turned to go back down the aisle, Jasper grabbed Alice's hand and Edward took mine. There were a few giggles, but I don't think anyone really minded.

The reception was held at a hotel and it was gorgeous. The food, the decorations, the music, everything was great. Rose and Em looked blissfully happy as they left for their honeymoon.

Christmas was another big family affair. Since we didn't really have any family, my parents were invited to the Cullen's. It was really nice having everyone together in one place.

Edward got me my leather jacket and helmet. I loved them and couldn't wait until we could get back out on the bike. He also got me a necklace that matched my bracelet. The man had wonderful taste in jewelry.

I got Edward a nice watch and had it engraved on the back with 'Forever, Bella'. I think he really liked it. I also framed a couple of pictures of us for him. I told him that they were for his office, when he got the business up and running.

Esme was planning a big New Year's Eve party. Being on Christmas break, I had some extra time on my hands and volunteered to help. She and I had gotten a lot closer since the attack. I had thanked her profusely after finding out that she basically saved my life. She shrugged it off humbly, as if it wasn't a big deal. She joked saying that Edward would have never forgiven her if something had happened to me.

Edward had been acting strangely in the days leading up to New Year's. When I asked him what was wrong, he said something about the winter blahs being at fault. I wasn't buying it, but let him be.

Alice and I went shopping for something to wear to the party. I found a black dress with sparkly appliqués on the bodice and the skirt was full and flirty and just above my knee. I had some silver heels that matched it perfectly. Alice and I brought everything to get ready with us to her parents house. After helping set up, we got ready.

"Alice, you are positively vibrating. What's up?" I asked her. I noticed that she was avoiding eye contact with me.

"I'm just excited for the party. Come on, let's go. The guys should be here by now."

Downstairs, some of the guests were starting to arrive. I was disgusted by the fact that Tanya was here and had Edward cornered in the kitchen. As I approached them, I heard Edward ask where her fiancé was.

"Oh, we broke up. He wasn't man enough for me." Tanya fingered Edward's collar. "You, on the other hand…" she started to say.

"Am TAKEN," Edward finished for her. He looked up and saw me. Relief spread across his face. "And here she is now." He stepped around her and stood at my side. I kissed his cheek and took a step towards Tanya.

"You know, I am not surprised to find you here. But, woman to woman? You are making yourself look pathetic. How long have you been throwing yourself at Edward? Has he, even once, showed any interest in you at all?" She looked shocked. "Guess what? HE IS NOT INTERESTED. So, from here on out, I expect you to leave my boyfriend ALONE." I turned and took Edward's hand and went to join the party, leaving Tanya looking bewildered.

Edward pulled me into the empty hallway and kissed me aggressively. "That was even hotter than last summer," he said breathlessly. I just laughed.

"Come on, let's party," I said, dragging him into the crowd. I watched as people, women in particular, looked at him. He was dressed in black slacks and a crisp, white button down dress shirt. Very simple, but breathtaking.

Emmett rounded us all up and told us that we couldn't say 'drink', 'happy', or 'party' for the rest of the night. If we caught each other, we had to take a shot. He promised it would be fun and begged us to play along. It turned out to be pretty funny. When some of the other guests heard about it, they wanted to join in, too.

Over by the punch bowl, there was a pile of Ring Pops. I looked at Edward in surprise. He just smirked at me and shrugged his shoulders. I grabbed one and went to dance with Rose and Alice. All three of us were wearing a couple on each hand. It was silly, but we had fun.

I watched as the boys huddled together. I saw Emmett point at the suckers and go wide eyed. They all laughed and popped their heads up to look at us girls. We decided that a little teasing was in order. We each licked and sucked on the Ring Pops seductively. I watched Edward's eyes darken from across the room as I pulled the Ring Pop out of my mouth.

He stalked over to me and grabbed me around the waist. "Do you know what you're doing to me?" he growled.

"Yep." I smiled before sucking on the candy again. Edward attacked my neck and started to sway to the music with me. I looked over his shoulder and saw that Rose and Alice were having the same effect on their men.

As midnight approached, Carlisle and my Dad poured champagne for everyone. Emmett and Rose along with Jasper and Alice, stood up on some chairs to start the countdown. I grabbed Edward's hand to go join them. I felt him tug at mine and I turned to see him down on one knee. There he was, right in the middle of the room, down on bended knee.

A crowd gathered around us as I barely registered Emmett's voice yelling out '10'. I gazed into Edward's eyes and got lost in them.

"Bella, You came along at a time when I thought I had given up on love. You took over my thoughts and my heart before I even knew what was happening. You're everything to me, you _are_ my life now. I promise to love you everyday of our lives. No," he paused. "Everyday of forever. Because I'll never stop loving you. Bella, will you marry me?"

I heard a few gasps as Emmett hollered '1'. Amongst the cheering and horn blowing and kissing couples, I fell into Edward's arms. I kissed him with all the passion and happiness that I had. I pulled my lips away to look him in his sparkling eyes.

"Yes."

Edward placed a ring on my finger and stood up wrapping his arms around me. The crowd around us grew bigger and I heard whispering and gasps as our news became known.

"What?' I heard someone shriek. Tanya came busting through the crowd and stopped in front of us. "Are you serious?" she screeched, looking between Edward and I.

I was just about ready to throw down with this bitch when Edward put his hand on my arm, stopping me. He leaned his head down to my ear. "Let me," he whispered and ghosted his lips under my ear. He straightened and took a step towards Tanya, getting right in her face.

"Fuck. Off." Edward grabbed my hand to lead me through the crowd. I looked over my shoulder to see Tanya staring after us. I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at her. I mouthed the word 'Mine', while pointing at Edward. She stomped her foot and turned, making a bee line for the door.

Our friends and family cheered and started congratulating us. Edward twirled me around then pulled me into him. "Thank you," he whispered before kissing the living daylights out of me.

_Best New Year's Eve EVER._

_

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave me your thoughts in the form of a review?**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This is the last chapter of ATH. Thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed/alerted and or favorited! I appreciate the support you've shown my story.**

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**Lives in Chaos by xXkiwicullenXx**

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**Stephanie Meyers owns Twilight Rated M for Language and Adult Situations**

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CH 23

BPOV

January was busy. Edward went ahead with his plans to open a security firm. He wanted to offer both home and business security in the form of surveillance systems as well as security guards.

That was where Emmett came in. He wasn't ready to quit the police force just yet, but was willing to dedicate a few days a week to help out. They did a little head hunting and found a guy named Seth Clearwater who was a former Navy Seal. They brought him on to help train the guards. Edward didn't want rent-a-cops.

I suggested that he meet with Angela's husband, Ben. With him being a locksmith, I thought that they could, at least, work together.

Alice, Esme, my Mother and Rose had been bugging me about the wedding. I needed to talk to Edward about it. He'd been evading me every time I asked his opinion.

"Honestly, whatever you want is fine with me. Just as long as at the end of it, you are my wife." Wow. But I wasn't going to let him get out of it that easy.

"Edward, come on. You've got to give me something. What about something you don't want?" I asked him.

"No clowns. Or tiaras." He was fighting not to laugh. I gave him a poke in the ribs.

"Be serious. Please?" I whined and slowly batted my eyelashes.

"Christ, woman. You know that I will give you anything when you do that," he sighed. "Fine. What I would really like is for it to be fun and comfortable. I don't want a bunch of stress and complications or fancy hoopla. Does that make any sense?" he asked.

"Hoopla?" I snickered. He grabbed me by the waist and kissed me. "So, when do you want to do this?" We hadn't talked about dates yet.

"As soon as fucking possible," he said sincerely. I smiled. I had an idea that had been running around in my head that I wasn't sure he'd go for.

"How about Labor Day weekend?" I asked. Edward gave me a devious smile.

"That sounds perfect. We could have the reception coincide with the annual party. Damn! I always knew there were brains behind that beauty," he deadpanned.

I looked appropriately shocked and slapped his chest. Edward caught my hand and pulled me down to the sofa with him. I spent the rest of the evening showing him just how smart I was.

XxXxX

I met with Esme before saying anything to anyone about our plans. I wanted to make sure she wouldn't mind us taking her party over. I needn't have worried, she loved the idea. I made a few phone calls and set up a time for all of us girls to get together.

Valentine's Day rolled around and I had no idea what Edward had planned. I decided to make my own plans. After buying some red scented candles and new lingerie, I met him at the door and rocked his world. When I apologized for messing up any plans he may have had, all he said was 'fuck the restaurant reservation'.

A few weeks later, Edward and I were going over our guest lists. It was on a Saturday morning and we sat in bed writing down names. He got up to refill our coffee and called to me to come out. I heard someone knocking, only it wasn't on our door.

"Look out the peephole," he said quietly. I did and gasped. The knocking was on my old apartment door. The knocker was James.

"Who is that?" Edward asked.

"James."

"Stand behind the door." I hugged the wall behind the door, wondering what he was up to. Edward put his finger to his lips silently telling me to keep quiet. Then he opened the door.

"Can I help you?" he asked James.

"Um, I was looking for Bella. Isabella Swan?" James asked.

"How did you get in the building?" Edward asked suspiciously.

"I walked up as the door was closing and just came in." James sounded defensive.

"Bella doesn't live there anymore," Edward said casually, leaning against the edge of the door.

"Oh. Do you know where she moved?" James asked. Edward chuckled.

"Yeah, I do. Why do you want to know?" Edward was starting to lose his patience.

"It's personal. Can you tell me where she is? Did she move back with her parents?"

"No she didn't. If you tell me what you want, I'll tell you where she is," Edward offered. I heard James clear his throat and shuffle his feet.

"Fine. I have something that I need to tell her. We used to be married and I need to apologize to her," he sighed.

Edward moved the door slightly so he could see me. He raised his eyebrows as if asking my permission. I rolled my eyes and shrugged my shoulders.

"Well, in that case, I believe my fiancée knows where she is." He opened the door and allowed James to come in. I was grateful for whatever possessed me to put sweats and a t-shirt on this morning.

I moved from my hiding place and stood next to Edward. James had to pick his jaw up from the floor when he saw me.

"Well, you certainly didn't waste any time," snarked James. Edward tensed and took a step towards him.

"Say what you came to say then get the fuck out. DO NOT disrespect her again or you'll be dealing with me. You'll be lucky if I don't kick your ass anyway," Edward warned. I watched as James actually paled from Edward's words.

"I came to tell you that I am sorry about everything that happened. I never meant for you to find out. Er, no. I mean, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just sorry. About everything."

"Why are you doing this? Why are you apologizing?" I asked him. "Everything happens for a reason and I truly believe that I had to deal with your stupid, cheating, inconsequential, lying, abusive ass, so that when Edward finally walked into my life, I'd be able to appreciate him for the MAN that he is."

"Okay, I guess I deserved that…but, I'm seeing a therapist and he thought it would be a good idea to apologize so we can both let go and move on to, hopefully, develop healthy relationships," he explained. He sounded like he memorized a pamphlet. I thought for a moment about what I wanted to say to him.

"Well James, I neither want or need your apology, so I won't be accepting it. I have _already_ moved on from you. You didn't do anything that Edward couldn't fix. I wish you nothing but the best but, after today? I'll never think of you again" He and Edward both looked at me in surprise. "Goodbye." I opened the door and watched him walk out.

"You continue to amaze me," Edward said softly as he buried his head in my hair.

"Come on, we've got a guest list to finish," I said, dragging him back to the bedroom.

xXxXx

Wedding plans, school and opening a business all took their toll on us. I was exhausted and Edward was moody and stressed. We tried not to take it out on each other, but we were not always successful. I was thankful that spring break was only a week or so away.

We were relaxing after dinner one evening when Edward visibly perked up some.

"Babe, how'd you like to get away for a few days?" he asked.

"What did you have in mind?" Like I cared. Anything, anywhere, would be great.

"I have a cousin, Kari, who has a cabin in Rainier. I could give her a call and see if we could use it."

"I've never been to that area. It sounds great. Do you think she'll let us borrow it?"

"Probably, but it may take a little bribery. I'll call her tomorrow."

EPOV

I called Kari the following morning. She told me that as long as we invited her to the wedding, we could use the cabin. My cousin told me that she would have to mail me the key. Apparently, she was having some family problems and there was some renovation issues with her kitchen and it was just easier for her to mail it.

Bella and I packed a few things and set out to drive the 3 hours to the cabin. It was a beautiful area and the cabin was huge. It was just what we needed to regroup and relax. We ended up christening every room in the place. After we got back home, Bella sent Kari a box of girly bath stuff as a thank you.

Cullen Security was taking off. We had a couple of businesses and a few homeowners as clients. Emmett told me that after the company was better established, he would quit the force and join me. Rose was pregnant and he didn't want to take any financial risks just in case. Plus, he had a really nice insurance package with the department.

Our wedding was getting closer and we hadn't gotten our wedding bands yet. I took Bella out on the bike and drove to the same jewelry store where I bought her engagement ring. The same salesman was working, so I approached him. We found a ring for me that we both liked. It was a plain platinum band but wider than most, and Bella said it was sexy. That sold me. For her, we found a channel set band that had diamonds and sapphires around it. The cut of the stones was the same as her engagement ring, which was an Emerald cut diamond.

As the wedding plans became fast and furious, I was thankful that Bella was a practical girl. Us guys were going to be wearing khaki colored dress shorts and plain white button down shirts. They were made out of a light material and she said it was up to me if I wanted them tucked in or not. She wouldn't tell me about the girl's dresses.

Jasper was able to secure a whole set of tents and awnings, just in case it rained. We let Alice be in charge of decorating. We had to veto the doves, but other than that, she seemed to have things under control. Bella also gave in to a combined bachelor/bachelorette party. It was more like a dinner party with gag gifts and lingerie. It was fun, though. We weren't going to be spending our last single night apart, either. Nothing with us had been conventional, so why start now?

We were lying in bed the night before the wedding and found ourselves talking about the future.

"Do you want kids?" Bella quietly asked me. "Do you even like kids?"

"Yes. I love kids. And, yes, I want them. I can't wait to see you all round and pregnant with our baby," I told her, nuzzling into my favorite spot-her hair, right in the crook of her neck. Bella groaned.

"Yeah, all fat and hormonal and waddling around," she snorted.

"Baby, I'm going to love you for forever. Whether you're fat and hormonal and waddling around, or not. Yes, I love your body but, this" I tapped her forehead "and this" I placed my hand over her heart "is what I love the most. You'll always be my Bella. I'll always love you."

Saturday morning came quickly. I sat drinking my coffee and thinking about the steps that brought me here to where I am today. How many different paths did I pass by to be _right here, right now?_ I shuddered at the thought of taking one of those paths. I wouldn't be here, marrying Bella today if I had. I never used to, but now I do, believe that everything happens for a reason.

If I hadn't come home a year ago? If I followed my first instinct and just walked away? And what about Bella? If she had stayed in Florida, I never would have met her. What if she moved into a different building? I was getting lost in my head marveling at the way fate worked.

I snapped out of it and quickly realized that I'd better get my ass in gear, or I'd be late. That would not be pretty. Bella had already left for my parents house, riding over with Alice. Mom and Dad's annual party was shortened this year because of our wedding. It was decided that it would start after the ceremony.

I made sure that I had our tickets and passports before I left. Our bags were already packed and in the car. I was taking Bella to Paris for our honeymoon. We were staying in Seattle overnight and leaving tomorrow. She'd been trying to coerce me into telling her where we were going, but I wouldn't budge.

"Jake! Let's go get married, buddy." I had to put my foot down about Jake being in the wedding. Alice wanted to tie the rings to a ribbon and hang them around his neck. _I don't think so._

Jazz, Em and Seth were standing in the driveway ogling Seth's new bike. He had become quite an asset to Cullen Security, and a good friend to me. He, along with Jasper and Emmett, were standing up with me.

"Very nice, Seth," I said, admiring his Harley. "We'll have to go out for a ride when we get home. Maybe make a weekend out of it?" I suggested. They all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Hey! You'd better get in here and start getting ready or the women in this house will be coming out there after you," Dad yelled from the front door step.

"Nervous?" Emmett asked me.

"Nope. Anxious. I just want to get this over with. It's about six months overdue!"

"Fuck dude, I never thought I'd see you whipped," Emmett scoffed.

"Fuck you! I am not whipped." I punched him in the arm. "I love that woman with everything that I am. I would be nothing without her," I confessed, bringing the tone of conversation down some.

"Been there, done that." Em nodded in agreement. He was the same way with Rose.

"Amen," Jasper said. Apparently, all our women had us lock, stock and barrel.

"I'm feeling a little left out," pouted Seth.

The house was a flurry of activity. Renee was running around, making sure the caterers had everything ready. Mom was instructing the servers and other help that had been hired for the day. Dad and Charlie were outside making sure that everything was ready out there.

We guys got dressed and met in the living room. I handed them their attendant gifts. Pocket flasks already filled with Patron. We each took a swig and headed outside.

We lucked out and had a beautiful day. Sunny, warm and a little breezy. The guests were starting to fill the seats so I walked around greeting them. The Denali's were here and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Tanya was not with them.

The music started to play and the anticipation I felt buzzed in my ears.

"T-minus 10 minutes, Ed." Emmett said.

I saw Jake run through a small crowd. Someone put a collar on him that looked like a tuxedo on the front. He was full grown now and a really good looking dog. He was big, too.

"Hey Seth? Can you go get Jake? I don't want him knocking anybody down."

"It's time, Edward." I turned my head and saw my father standing next to me.

I was perfectly fine until I saw her. Walking towards me was a vision, a goddess. Her hair was up, with wisps of it falling around her face. Bella's dress was like a dressy sundress. Narrow straps leading down to a white gauzy, billowy dress. Her colorful bouquet of wildflowers made her look like Mother Nature. _A sexy Mother Nature._

When Charlie handed her off to me, he gave me a look. It was full of acceptance and trust. Bella smiled up at me and I truly felt like the luckiest man in the world.

I was so lost in Bella, I barely heard what Reverend Webber was saying. Emmett gave me a nudge when it was time to recite our vows. I cleared my throat and looked into her eyes.

"Bella. You've become my air, my sun, my soul. My everything. I swear to always listen, share, respect and protect you. Most of all, I swear to you that I will love you every single moment of forever."

I reached up and gently wiped a tear from Bella's face. She grabbed my hand and kissed it.

"Edward. I love you more than I ever thought possible. You're my best friend, my hero, my soul. Everything I am and everything I do is for you. I will spend the rest of eternity loving you."

The next thing I heard was 'husband and wife'. I took a step and grasped Bella's face, kissing the hell out of her. I didn't care if it was inappropriate or not. The guests erupted in cheers and we broke apart and just stared at each other for a minute. I heard Emmett yell "Let's Party!" and we went to meet our guests.

After pictures were taken and hugs of congratulations were given, it was time to cut the cake. We didn't have a cake, however. Instead we had a pie tower. It was a tiered tower of individual sized cherry and strawberry-rhubarb tartlets. Bella and I shoved mini pies into each other's mouths while cameras snapped all around us.

Of course, we had a huge bowl of Ring Pops on the table, too. I heard Rose comment that she'd never be able to buy one for her kid now. I should make Bella apologize, but I won't.

Our house will always have a stash of Ring Pops. Hidden, of course.

We didn't throw bouquets or garters, but we did have a dance floor and an obstacle course. We danced, we sang karaoke and had our fill of food and drink. Alice had handed out disposable cameras so we would have lots of candid photos to remember today.

We still had to drive to Seattle, so I made sure Jazz and Alice were set to take Jake and went to find my wife.

I finally found her watching a run of the obstacle course. I snaked my arms around her waist and kissed her neck.

"Hey, you better watch it. My husband will kick your ass," Bella laughed.

"Damn straight." I gripped her tighter and pressed my hips into her ass. "Are you ready to go, wife?" I loved saying that.

Wife. Mine.

"Definitely. Let's go."

I picked up the microphone at the karaoke table and thanked everyone for coming. We said goodbye to our family and took off for Seattle.

I booked us at a 5 star hotel and had them set up the room with candles, champagne and an antipasto platter.

"I'm going to go freshen up," Bella said, grabbing a small bag.

I lit the candles and opened the champagne. Sitting on the bed, I unbuttoned my shirt. Hearing the bathroom door creak, I turned and saw Bella. My mouth went dry and my dick twitched. She was wearing a dark blue satin nightgown that went all the way to the floor. It had panels of see through lace from top to bottom. Her breasts were barely covered and my mouth went from dry to drooling.

"Wow. You look amazing," I managed to say. "Too bad you won't be wearing it very long. Come here."

I pulled Bella into my arms and onto my lap. I pressed my lips to hers and kissed her tenderly. Running my hands over the satin was stoking the fire that was already burning me. I layed her back gently and slipped my shirt off.

"Bella, you are so beautiful. Thank you for marrying me today. I love you."

"Oh Edward, you are such a sweet man. Thank _you_ for marrying _me_. I love you, too."

I slid the straps down off her shoulders, kissing and licking my way down. After freeing and paying homage to her breasts, I slipped the gown off her completely.

I quickly dropped the rest of my clothes and nestled myself between Bella's legs.

I stroked her skin and kissed everywhere my fingers touched. We took our time, showing each other how much we loved through our gentle touches and soft kisses. When I finally entered her, I swear I heard the world sigh. I was at peace. I was home. I was complete.

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A/N: Thank you all! Let me know what you think. If anyone is interested, I've posted a complete story over at TWCS. For the time being, I'm not posting it here.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I'm a little sad to say that this is the end. Thanks to all of you who've read/reviewed/alerted or favorited ATH. I appreciate each of you!**

**Kari, THANK YOU! There really aren't enough words. Really. **

**SM owns Twilight and I thank her for letting me play.**

**Happy Holidays!**

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Epilogue

5 years later

I awoke first, the sunlight just peeking in through the blinds. I stretched and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I knew that I didn't have a lot of time before I would have to get up. I took the time to watch Edward, still one of my favorite things to do.

He was laying on his stomach, facing me. The only sign of aging were some slight laugh lines in the corners of his eyes. A sliver of sunlight shone across the muscles on his back, making his skin glow. I sometimes marveled at the fact that he was mine. I never questioned his devotion.

With our anniversary upon us, I couldn't help but think back to our wedding and honeymoon. Paris was beautiful in the fall.

Edward made sure to show me all the places I wanted to see. We had only left ourselves 6 days to sight see, as we spent the first five days living off of each other and room service.

Edward was taking me away for our anniversary. We were going back to the cabin we visited before we got married. The thought of Edward and I alone for 5 days, sent a shiver through me.

The little device sitting on the table next to me crackled and cooed. I rolled out of bed and walked down the hall. I pushed open the door and found two pairs of eyes staring at me. Lucy and Scott were both awake and ready to play.

We were surprised to find out we were having twins as neither of us had them in our family history. Edward was extremely proud. He liked to tell me that he had superior swimmers.

It was a fairly easy pregnancy, as easy as being pregnant with twins goes. Edward made sure that I wanted for nothing and doted on me night and day. When I craved chili dogs from an all night diner, he never complained.

Sometimes his protectiveness got to be a little much and I had to reign him in. I worked as long as I could, that is until I became a hazard to those around me because I was so big. I had just begun to think about going back, but was entertaining the thought of _not_ going back, too.

Our babies were 18 months old now and I didn't want to miss anything.

Lucy and Scott both had Edward's hair. It was a bright shiny color, like a new penny and stuck up in all directions. I had seen some of Edward's baby pictures and his hair was the same color, darkening as he got older.

Lucy had brown eyes and facial features of us both. Scotty was the spitting image of his father, though. Green eyes and the beginnings of a strong jaw line. They both had their daddy wrapped tightly around their little fingers, too.

After getting them changed and dressed, I finished packing their bag. Seth and Jessica were taking them for the first 2 days while we were away. Grandma and Grandpa Cullen would have them the remaining time.

Seth and Jess met at our wedding and hit it off. Seth made such an impression, Jessica moved to Washington 6 months after. They ran off to Vegas and got married a month later.

Rose and Emmett were pregnant with their third and happy that Johnny and Emily finally had cousins. Em quit the force soon after Johnny was born and became a fully vested partner with Edward at Cullen Security. Seth turned out to be a really good decision, in more ways than one. He was not only invaluable to the business, but part of our family now.

He made sure the security guards that CS provided were trained well. The company had all the business they could handle and a great reputation to boot. They merged Ben's locksmith business with Cullen Security and the four of them had it running smoothly.

Alice and Jasper got married a couple of years ago and have yet to have any children. Jasper wanted to wait. Alice is ready, though, so I don't imagine that it will be too much longer. Jasper was promoted to principal last year and Alice has done well in the real estate market. She found us our house.

It was a 4 bedroom Colonial and I fell in love with it on sight. Jake loved it, too. The first thing Edward did after we moved in was call all the guys over-dads too, and fence in the back yard. When it was finished, he decided that Jake needed a friend.

Edward came back from the pound with a mixed breed little girl that Jake immediately fell for. Edward named her Pepper, because her white coat was dotted with specks of black.

I left the twins to play together and went to wake Edward. He needed to get around and take the dogs to Ali and Jasper's house. We were scheduled to leave in the early afternoon for the cabin in Rainier.

My gorgeous husband had rolled to his back and gave me a view of his delectable chest. I leaned over him and placed a kiss above his heart. His strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me down to him.

"Gotcha!" he laughed. "Morning baby," he said as he kissed me. I couldn't help but kiss him back. I could never not kiss Edward.

"We have a lot to do today, Edward," I reminded him. "As much as I would love to start our long weekend early, the babies are up and you need to get Pepper and Jake over to Alice's."

"Let me go see my babies and I'll get in the shower," he said. Devoted, I tell you.

Now, _that_ is a sight. Edward with Scotty and Lucy was so sweet, it almost breaks your heart it's so beautiful. His obvious love for them pours out with every action and word. Their eyes lit up and they both screeched when Edward entered the room. He plucked them both out of the crib and sat on the floor.

Lucy bounced on Edward's stomach and Scotty was pulling on his arm, trying to get him to sit up. They were all laughing and that drew Pepper and Jake into the room. They were both so good with the babies, as if they knew how fragile and precious they were.

I hated to do it, but we had to get moving. I picked up Lucy and took Scotty's hand to get them to the kitchen. Edward kissed us all and went to shower.

After everyone was fed, cleaned up and dressed, we were ready to go.

Edward left with the dogs and I left with the kids. I was meeting Jess and Seth over at my in-laws house. They've been swept up in the big Labor Day party, too.

Carlisle and Esme had hired a couple of young lawyers to help them out at the office. This allowed them to spend more time with family. Well, no, that isn't exactly right. It allowed them to spend more time with their grandchildren. When any of them were around, the rest of us turned into chopped liver!

After greeting everyone and giving last minute instructions and phone numbers, I kissed my babies and left for home. Edward and I just needed to load the car and we could leave for the cabin.

We stopped at a grocery store before heading up the mountain to the cabin. After stocking up with all sorts of decadent goodies and a little bit of real food, we left for the cabin.

It was even more beautiful than I remembered. Edward got the bags inside while I put the food away. I came out to Edward crouched down, starting a fire. It wasn't too cool yet, but nighttime temps got down in the 30's.

I took advantage of the fact that Edward was distracted and ran up the stairs. Finding the right suitcase, I opened it and unwrapped the gown I'd been saving. Alice, Rose and I had gone shopping in Seattle a couple of months ago when I found it. I knew that Edward would love it.

I brushed my hair and spritzed a little perfume on after slipping the black satin gown on. It was very similar to the one I wore the night of our wedding. The bodice was form fitting and very lacy while the bottom was a full flowing skirt. The satin felt really nice against my skin.

I stepped down the stairs and found Edward staring at the fire he had built.

"Hey, everything alright?" I asked. He turned to look at me and I watched his eyes widen as he took me and the gown in.

"Wow," he half-whispered. "You look incredible in that, baby."

"Happy anniversary," I told him. He got up and walked to where he laid his coat down.

I'm sure my face showed the confusion I felt. As I saw him reach into the pocket, he smirked at me. He pulled his hand out and immediately placed it behind his back.

"Have I told you how much I love you yet today?" he asked as he came to a stop in front of me. I tapped my chin, as if I was trying to remember. That made him chuckle.

"Well, just in case I ever forget, this will remind you."

Edward presented what he had been hiding behind his back. It was a black velvet box.

I opened it and was stunned. Tears sprang to my eyes as I fumbled to pull the ring out of it's little pocket. I slipped it on my right ring finger and admired it. The ring was platinum, to match my wedding rings, and it had diamonds and my babies' birthstones on it.

"Edward, it's beautiful. I love it. Thank you," I cried, wrapping my arms around his neck.

I kissed him until I had to breathe and he pulled my hand up to look at the ring.

"It has room on it for more, see?" he pointed at the area that left room for more stones. It was nestled between the emeralds and diamonds. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Maybe we should start on that this weekend," I suggested. Edward' lips crashed against mine.

Our passion over took us and we fell to the sofa kissing and grasping at each other.

"Baby, I want you over here, in front of the fire," Edward panted. I looked and saw that he had a blanket spread out and pillows on it.

"Yeah, okay." I scooted off the sofa and stepped onto the blanket with Edward right behind me.

He wrapped me up in one arm and I felt his other hand fisting the fabric on my thigh. His fingers were drawing up and gathering the satin in his hand. He continued this until my entire thigh was exposed.

"Bella, I love you so much. Even more than the day I married you," he whispered. I melted in his arms.

"Edward, I love you, too. So much."

He pulled me down onto the blanket and proceeded to put his lips and tongue on every inch of skin he exposed. In the process, he took my gown off completely and finished the job. Somewhere in all that, Edward had lost his clothes, too.

"Edward, please. I need you," I pleaded. He smiled at me as he pressed his lips to mine.

"Your wish," he whispered just before entering me.

It was slow and gentle and filled with the love we both felt. Edward filled every sense I had. His smell, his beautiful face, his soft moans and his touch overwhelmed me and sent me over the edge.

EPOV

Bella had only gotten more beautiful in the past 5 years. She was everything to me.

As we laid in front of the fire, I watched the shadows play across her face and body.

She had given me the best gift in the world when she gave me our children. I had never really considered myself father material. It happened instantaneously. As soon as I saw Scotty and then Lucy, my world shifted and became perfect.

I often found myself pondering my life and where it would be without Bella. She accuses me of being broody, but I like to think of it as appreciating what I have. Sometimes I wish I could be more like her and just go with it and not over think things.

I looked down at her perfectly satisfied face and smiled. She gave me a lazy smile in return.

"What would have happened to me if you hadn't moved in across the hall?" I asked quietly.

Bella scrunched up her nose and thought for a minute. I expected something profound and meaningful from her.

"Your life would probably suck," she laughed. I smirked and shook my head. "Edward," she said, serious now, "Stop questioning everything. You've got me. Forever. I love you more than life and our lives are as close to perfection as can be. Just be happy."

"I am. I wasn't questioning you or us or our life. I know what I've got. I was just thinking out loud," I explained.

"Okay. If you're done thinking, I'd like to start round two now. In the shower." Bella hopped up and ran for the stairs.

I did the only thing I could. I caught up to her and carried her to the shower. Then had my way with her. Twice.

We spent our time at the cabin much like our honeymoon, totally wrapped up in each other. You'd think we hadn't had sex since then. Even though we had to become a little more creative and adapt to the kids' schedules, our sex life hardly suffered. It was my job to keep my wife happy and satisfied and I took that responsibility seriously.

So, both of us looking thoroughly fucked and satisfied, we packed up and left for home.

We went straight to my parent's house upon arriving back in P.A. Seeing my children's eyes light up was high on my list of best things ever.

I scooped up Lucy as Bella bent down and did the same with Scott. They squealed and hugged us with their little arms. Baby kisses are high on the list, too.

"Were you good for everyone?" Bella cooed at Scotty. We heard a snort and turned to see my parents smiling at us.

"Like they could be anything but?" my mom said. "Angels from heaven," she sighed.

We followed them into the kitchen where the rest of our family had gathered. Today was Labor Day. That meant it was family game day. The doorbell rang and I heard my father say that it should be Charlie and Renee.

Our parents had become good friends since our engagement and normally spent the holidays together now.

I stood back, having given my daughter to Grandma Renee, and watched my entire family.

Em and Rose looked happy. She was due in 2 months and was bigger than she was with either of her previous kids. I wondered if she might not be having twins, too. Emmett was a great dad, being a large child himself.

Seth and Jessica had been trying to get pregnant, but were having some fertility issues from what Seth had told me.

My other 2 kids, Jake and Pepper came running in with Jasper and Alice chasing after them. Both their faces were flushed and they looked like they were glowing. That all could not have been from the short jaunt into the kitchen.

Bella joined me, wrapping her arms around my waist and kissing my chest. I pulled her in tight and whispered to her to look at Alice.

She turned her head and watched her for a minute then looked up at me.

"Oh, do you think?" she said quietly. I nodded and got my sister's attention.

"How are you Alice?" I asked "Did the dogs give you any problems?"

"No, they were fine," she said. Jasper laughed in an un-humorous way. Uh-oh.

"Only, I'm missing 2 different shoes and some of my underwear disappeared!"

Jake had taught Pepper to steal. Funny thing was, they only did it to me and any other males they were around. Bella's shit went untouched.

"We have an announcement to make!" Alice yelled so she could be heard over all the people in the room. I nudged Bella with my elbow.

"I'm pregnant!" Everyone cheered and tried talking at once, yelling their congratulations.

"How did you know?" Bella whispered to me.

"Just a guess. She was glowing and so was Jazz. It reminded me of when you came home with the news that you were pregnant."

"You remembered the way I looked?" Bella asked. I gave her my dazzling Cullen smile.

"Baby, you were particularly and especially beautiful that day," I said in all honesty.

"Geez, Edward. As wonderful as that compliment is, aren't you laying it on a little thick? What is it you want?"

"Just you, baby. Well, you and the kids." That brought tears to Bella's eyes. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her well.

"I love you, Edward."

"I love you, Bella."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


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